I didn’t intend to start this rundown of my favourite independent films of the year with a rant, but it feels like the most honest way to start my preamble. Of course, I could start by saying what a diverse year it has been for a wide array of titles, genres and shooting styles, many […]
There’s a scene in Vulcanizadora where, in the darkness of the woods, one of the main characters unpacks a Discman and some analogue speakers he’s brought along to entertain his friend on their camping trip. Nothing works; the cable isn’t connected to the speakers at first, but they hiss anyway; the Discman skips and stutters, […]
Dementer sets out everything it’s going to do in its first few minutes – and, to its detriment, it doesn’t move forward from there. Firstly, we get the horror archetypes – the backwoods setting, the naked girl running through crop fields to a discordant soundtrack, the intimations of something occult – and then, bam, we’re […]
The back story of Sator (2019) is a deeply interesting one. It’s a film seven years in the making, with director Jordan Graham doing far more than even most first-timer indie directors find themselves doing (right down to building a cabin used for one of the sets). Not only this, but the film has a […]
The second feature-length film by noted graphic designer Ryan Brookhart, Two Ways to Go West moves outside of the horror genre and endeavours to explore the big topics: personal demons, unspoken truths, repercussions. However, the style and approach it takes doesn’t really serve its themes; whilst visually sharp, it can feel tonally erratic, and badly […]