True Fiction

The reviews for this were seemingly off the charts (according to RT). So I went in thinking I missed it a couple years ago because I had never heard of it.

Oh how I wish I could go back to that time. This movie is honestly, nothing special. But, there was certainly an effort put in to make it a bit better than an average low budget slash and hack movie.

The acting...is fine. And the story with the twists and all...is okay. This whole film seemed like it was more or less a showcase for the main star (Sara Garcia). And she's good - but I think she's better suited for subtle drama rather than hardcore horror. That's just my opinion.

The effects and direction are all pretty good. But again, if one should miss this movie, you really aren't losing anything. It's just- okay.

And "deadly" - for your sanity and other "things". Now the German title of the movie got a tag line that some may say is quite the spoiler ... at least it indicates something that already gives you a view into what you are about to watch. German title "givers" like to do stuff like that ... explaining or spoiling a movie ... it is what it is.

The movie may have a slow pace at the beginning, but once it gets going ... it really gets going! And yes there is only a binary choice when it comes to guessing where this leads ... so no cookie for you if you guess it right. Still this can be entertaining, while also straining and exhausting! Yes the main characters seem despicable to say the least ... or not likeable ... but if you wrap your head around that, if you suspend your disbelief ... this can be the horror/thriller you can dig and be entertained by (not literally, you know what I mean).

The relationship between authors and their subjects has been very familiar territory for the horror genre. With classic horror films like The Shining and Misery, as well as contemporary horror favourites like 1408 and Sinister, True Fiction dabbles with the idea of controlled experiment in fear being the basis for murder, chaos and mayhem.

True Fiction is a physiological film, first and foremost. Blending the very blurred lines of reality, fantasy and toying with the perspectives of its two leads, the film becomes a feast for audience members to allow their imaginations to roam freely and vividly. A game of power and control, writer and director Braden Croft blends a familiar narrative of the cat-and-mouse game into a power struggle between accomplished author and his very polite, young and sweet test subject.

As the film opens, we are introduced to Avery Malone (Sara Garcia), an aspiring writer with some dark secrets about her past and her family, who is being interview for a position as an assistant to her favourite horror writer, Caleb Conrad (John Cassini). Seeing the opportunity as a unique experience to gain some writing tips and advice for her own, eventual work, she is given the opportunity to work with her idol, and accepts the position, almost blindly. Soon, she is picked up and driven to an isolated and secluded cottage, at an undisclosed location. Relinquishing her phone and her daily responsibilities, she is given the opportunity to explore the cottage, with the exception of a few locked doors. Shortly after, the highly mysterious and reclusive writer Caleb Conrad mysteriously appears in his study, where the two lay out the terms and agreements of their working relationship. Avery, without hesitation, signs over all consent to Caleb and quickly becomes his guinea pig, playing in his little, twisted game of analyzing fear and her deepest, darkest secrets. As time passes and the lines of reality and fantasy are blurred, Avery soon begins to question Caleb's methods as well as the truths behind why she is really there in the first place.

True Fiction may not be the work of a seasoned horror master, but explores very menacing ideas of identity, at times, making Croft's execution seem a little more confusing than it should. Croft's ability to use dream-like scenarios and reality, at times, are his downfall, extrapolating the expectations and experience of the audience with sometimes uneven narrative flow. We often question Caleb's intentions, as well as, who the true protagonist and antagonist really is. The film's pace trots along quite well in the first two acts, but stalls in the third.

What's really quite interesting about True Fiction is Croft's, as well as his cast's, ability to switch the power of each character's so effortlessly and without much accountability. With each passing scene, the audience becomes quite confused, various times, as to who the villain and hero really are. The idea of submitting to your captor really gets put into question with every scene, and sometimes takes away from the overall threat that Croft sets up so patiently in the beginning.

One of True Fiction's greatest achievements, is its commitment to the craft. While Canadian horror films aren't quite applauded as much as American horror films, with the exception, of course, of a good ol' Cronenberg film, the genre of horror in Canada is one that has been deemed, unfulfilled. I mean, sure, we have film like Ginger Snaps and Splice as well as a whole slew of co-produced American/Canadian horror films, but the genre is one that has yet to breakthrough and gain the respect from audiences and critics as much as American and Japanese horror films have.

Unfortunately, True Fiction does not have the muscle to become that film that really breaks out for Canadian horror. As its character Caleb Conrad states often to Avery, her character as well as the film itself, has an uncanny ability do what its told, and follow in the footsteps of so many before them. While True Fiction may be applauded for its ability to conjure up imagination, inspire interpretation and give audiences some bloody good fun, the shocks and chills are too short lived, the acting is a bit too Canadian-campy and the story does not stand on its own two feet long enough to question whether what we are seeing is truth, reality, or merely, unpolished storytelling.

Movie has you guessing from the beginning. A littlw confusing at times. But a good movie . Deserves rating higher than a 1 that's for sure.

The beginning was great the middle mediocre and the end sub par. at some points it was confusing but with good acting and a few crazy scenes it is deff middle of the road watchable and some may even really like it

5.3