Spring: Love is a Monster

So, you're scrolling through IMDb top 250 looking for something. It doesn't have to be an awesome blockbuster or a life-changing experience. BUT you do want to see something decent. This is your movie.

If you are looking for that run of the mill hack and slash horror movie(including flying heads and such) keep looking.

But, if, like me, your looking for that tiny jewel you just so happened to miss, you've just hit the jackpot.

The beginning of the movie is raw and slow. But not too raw or slow. However, slow and raw enough that pop-corn munching blockbuster- loving idiots will be bored.

Movies that start like this can develop in works that make you feel like hell for 2 hours and then leave you with nothing. So, I started doubting whether this movie was going to be too much "slice of life".

But then...

You are rewarded for putting up with harsh reality.

When the main characters are introduced to each other this movie changes. The dialogue is fascinating. The plot is introduced quickly yet gently, and completely sucks you in.

You're on a creepy ride which you think might break down at any moment...But it doesn't.

The movie really keeps momentum and leaves you with a satisfying experience.

The characters are fleshed out well and the "horror" part eases in smoothly.

All in all, I would watch this movie again just to see my loved ones react to it. Watch this movie, and be positively surprised, you have just found yourself a little gem.

This turned out to be much sweeter, much more touching than I had first anticipated. Though the film takes a good half an hour to get into its stride it really is worth the slight uneasy feeling you may have when Evan first gets to Italy and you're wondering if it's going to turn into something akin to the Hostel series, but thankfully this is as far away from that kind of horror as possible.

At it's core the film is a dark, fairy-tale like horror romance but it keeps itself grounded in ways that are really satisfying and could only be possible in the world of independent cinema because if someone else, other than Benson & Moorhead, had made the film it could've easily turned into one of those slick, Hollywood style fantasy movies with lots of leather, low-key lighting, vivid colours and fast editing. The film does have very dark moments, horrifying moments, but they're handled with a certain amount of grace and elegance that I wasn't expecting and you will enjoy this film more than you think you might.

The lead actors are great. Lou Taylor Pucci's portrayal of Evan is wholly convincing, his character could've run the risk of being entirely forgettable but he's sweet and charming and highly likable. Nadia Hilker has been working in German television for about 5 years, this is her first feature film, and I have to say I'm a little bit in love with her. The personality she gives to a character that could easily have fallen into the realms of utter cliché is really, really refreshing.

A slightly twisted, supernatural companion piece to Before Sunrise? maybe, maybe not. But definitely something different, at least.

So...this movie is somehow thrown into the horror genre, but it is DEFINITELY not a horror movie. It's an avant-garde romantic comedy. There are a few sci-fi moments, but for the most part it's one of the cutest movies I've ever seen. The plot is very Disney with subtle hints of Slither-esque grotesqueness. I liked this movie a lot, but I feel tricked... I was really in the mood for a good horror film, but I got a strange rom-com instead. I'm not mad though. I enjoyed the film for its extreme amount of cuteness. I highly recommend this movie, but don't expect any horror. It has a lot of personality. I can't relate it any other film. I think this movie might pave the way for a new type of romantic comedy. I usually loathe romantic comedies, but this one takes a fresh approach! I can imagine this new genre really taking off. If you're a dude who's really into sci-fi and you're dating a girl who is really into typical chick-flicks, then this is a great movie for meeting her in the middle.

"I'm half undiscovered science, a bunch of confusing biochemistry and some crazy hormones."

"Spring" isn't really a horror film. It's a rather mythological love story with a "not so bad" twist. A story about how true love can overcome obstacles and how that makes you choose irreversible options. And this interspersed with sometimes lurid and bizarre scenes. There are several moments in this film, which also proceeds painfully slow (the only flaw I could think of), where you are wondering what the hell is actually going on. And when everything is explained in detail, you frown and instantly you think "What the f*ck was that ?". I admit that the whole metabolic explanation went over my head the first time, but after a while it became really clear and I realized it was dead simple. Ultimately it was a film that took me by surprise, despite its long playing time, and unexpectedly continued to fascinate me.

The beginning of this remarkable film is I could say brilliant. A scarce setting. Young Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) bedside of his dying mother. A joke. A blank stare. A final sigh and then ... finito. The day of the funeral ends with an out of control bar fight. To avoid problems with the local police, Evan decides out-of-the-blue to book a plane ticket and travels to distant Italy. Once there, he ends up in the company of two British loudmouths whose main interests are : pouring as much as possible alcohol in their throat, using gore language and constantly trying to seduce an Italian girl. The day they scram and leave Evan behind, he's determined to get acquainted with the beautiful Louise (Nadia Hilker) with whom he briefly made eye contact, somewhere at a village square. He offers his services at some farm in order to pay for his stay and slowly the two grow closer together. What emerges is a not so obvious relationship. The mysterious and impulsive Louise isn't exactly making it easy for Evan and soon the viewer is fully aware that she's hiding a terrible secret.

What is it that makes this film so unique? Several things as I look at it afterwards. The casual and spontaneous way these two people interact, converse and let love flourish between each other. Not with contrived and forced dialogues. It seemed as if their love game unfolds naturally before your eyes and you witness how two charismatic individuals whirl around each other in a flirting way. You wouldn't say that Evan has charisma. He looks more like a meaningless, unqualified,miserable fellow who has no specific goal in his life and also has a limited wardrobe. Yet he came across as profound and intellectual during philosophical conversations with Louise. And certainly the speed at which he could grasp the whole explanation, proves there's a sparkle of some intelligence. Conversely Louise is a chunk of charisma. A mysterious character who Evan can't get hold of and whose reasoning and reactions raises questions. The reason why she is confusing at times and stands aloof, becomes clearer as soon as the terrible secret is revealed. Superb performances without a doubt.

Also cinematically it's a bit different. The camera movements and positions are sometimes surprising. The bird's-eye view sometimes delivers beautiful images such as the boat trip. These splendor images are regularly interrupted by short shots of all kinds of flora and fauna. Bizarre and sometimes incomprehensible. But all this is ultimately connected with the big secret. The most successful scene is when Louise explains the whole mystery to Evan. Although she doesn't want to explain it initially, she changes her mind and she does it while Evan is on its way through the narrow streets of the Italian village. And while stumbling over the cobbles he listens to the eerie tale. I would have preferred that she'd tell this complicated story calmly at a table because the pivoting camera and flashy long sequence demanded all my attention. And this ensured that the final message didn't directly hit me and sounded pretty hazy. The horror clips are scarce, sometimes unclear and sometimes with pretty ugly CGI. Is this done deliberately? Were the resources limited? I have no idea. But ultimately it all fits perfectly with the rest.

Maybe there's a moment when you're wondering where exactly the romance is hiding ? Maybe you dropped off because it's pretty surreal and it all looks strange. And yet you should do the effort to sit through the movie, because the final denouement is pure romance. This is the epitome of true love. Maybe I raved about this film, but I've never seen the concepts live, love, death,pregnancy and rebirth flow into each other in such a subtle way. A simplistic love story with a quirky twist which eventually ends in a way you hoped it would end. A beautiful, unique film that briefly will resonate to some.

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This is an awesome movie. I really didn't know what to expect when I went into it, because I'd gone in blind based on the strength of "The Endless" and "Resolution". I was not expecting a love story from the two that made those other films, but they pulled it off. Benson and Moorhead not only have something to say (and something worth listening to), but they also have an incredible amount of range. I'll be sure to watch anything else that comes from this team, as I've been consistently impressed with their work. See this film, see their other films, and watch for films from them in the future!