The Runner

Apparently Shudder has gotten looser with its definition of horror movie.

It's basically a long music video that cuts to documentary/behind the scenes with some band no one has ever heard of.

The last 5 minutes are some awkward white kid singing and dancing in front of the camera.

I've been a fan of Boy Harsher for a while now; don't know how many times I've listened to the Lesser Man album but it's alot. So I was pretty intrigued about this movie and I listened to the soundtrack before watching this and loved it so I had somewhat higher expectations for this. At first I was expecting something more of a visual album and thought that'd be cool but, nah. It's a lil incoherent, which isn't really the problem here. It's not very visually striking also which makes me sad. The meta bits of it being a movie within a movie interviewing the band really ruins it. The cast looks great and fitting, except for the teenager. Luckily Autonomy was my favorite song so I give ol' Handy a pass. I'd say only worth a watch if you're a fan but even then you could skip it. Definitely checkout the album though and their other albums. They're an amazing band, just not great filmmakers.

Nobody cares about your band or your awful haircuts. Please. Don't make any more movies. What is wrong with shudder will they allow anything? It's a paying sub.

For some, this will be seen as a visually and musically pleasing short horror film. For Boy Harsher fans, I think it takes a deeper dive into the minds of Gus and Jae, who are known to pour a lot of emotion and personal experience into their art. I hope this is the first in a series of Boy Harsher films.

As an initial disclaimer, I am a Boy Harsher fan, eagerly awaiting their next concert, so that may have influenced my experience of the movie. That being said, the music has the power to make or break a movie. In this case, music creates it.

Is this movie an interview accompanied by a video? Or is it a story that takes you behind the scene. In my interpretation it's both, with Boy Harsher's music manifesting itself as a monster, being let loose and observed what it does next. Besides the music, the visuals struck another cord with me. Who knew that a trailer in a corn field vista, enjoying a soft neon glow could look so good?

As for acting, there was a minor moment that took me out, but besides that, characters exchanged a lot, without saying a word. A whole story unfolds when the screen fills with long stares, full of sexual tension, making you wonder: would I rather consume, or be consumed?