Review of "This Hollow Sacrament" By Nickolas Cook
Director: Greg Stechman
It takes a true talent to find an original voice in the overdone serial killer sub-genre in cinema. And Greg Stechman is that talent. His debut film, "This Hollow Sacrament", drags you kicking and screaming into the depths of hell and doesn't let you up for air.
The film follows the story of a tortured ex-soldier, now police detective, as he and his partner attempt to track down a bizarre series of disappearances, and subsequent, brutal slayings of young women.
Let's talk independent film for a minute. A major studio doesn't have any control over it, so you don't have to worry about the slicing and dicing by untalented boobs that wouldn't know a good shot from a beaver shot, but because it's an indie, the funds are very restricted. Every dollar has to count. It's a financial, and career, risk for the fledgling director, for he/she is putting it all on the line. All around they're a gamble. The sad state of today's indie cinema is that most sink into obscurity under their own weight of dull unoriginality, usually somewhere along the first three minutes into a film, showcasing the utter lack of talent and vision. "This Hollow Sacrament" is stamped with Stechman's bleak vision of people whose lives have been subjugated by lost dreams, selfishness, and just plain evil. And despite its obvious indie limitations, there's a lot to praise here. Stechman has vision and talent, and knows how to use music to set the tone, although some of his choices seem a little out of place for their accompanying scenes. I'm talking about the thrash metal background in particular, which doesn't do much those scenes, except downplay their importance to the narrative. The editing plays a major part in pulling this narrative along, especially during the violence sequences, where it helps the camera set a tone of impersonality for the audience to absorb the essence of the terrible acts of violence. However, there are a few key scenes that seem a bit over-cut, and they don't allow the dialogue to play out naturally. As it's only two scenes in particular that it becomes obvious, it's hardly noticeable. Stechman's knows how to frame for effect. He uses color and sound, but it's usually in conjunction with spacial and lighting harmony. These elements are especially well done in the sequences involving violence. The characters are given time to unfold and expose their weaknesses. The highlight is the killer, scene for scene, best delivery and best acting chops. The biggest issue I had with the film was the dialogue. There are some scenes that come off a bit rusty. Whether this is because they needed extra takes to get a more natural flow from the actors, or the actors may not have been able to deliver the dialogue convincingly anyway, who knows? Some of it will jar you right out of the picture for a moment until it segues to another sequence. Also there's some awkward parallel footage of soldiers in Iraq used for the story that doesn't come off as well as one would think the director hoped it would, footage that's not justified until the end of the film, and even then, not to any degree of solidity that made it imperative viewing. But let's talk about the violence in "This Hollow Sacrament"-- because I think that's going to make or break the success of this film. It is unrelenting, clinical, bloody and in your face. The drill scene may be one of the most grueling scenes I've ever sat through. I almost vomited when...never mind...You'll have to wait to see it for yourself. Stechman knows how to make to hurt for the viewer, giving us just enough characterization to create empathy for his victims. This is not the cartoonish violence of Friday the 13th. It's more in line with Bergman's "Virgin Spring", or Doug Buck's gruesome work, as it tends to make your skin crawl. My final word on "This Hollow Sacrament" is that Stechman shows a spirit of 'getting there' in this independent film, one that I think he may just capitalize upon to even greater success in his next feature film.
--Nickolas Cook 08/09/06
