Protanopia

This is a movie that I got the chance to see thanks to the star, Timothy J. Cox. He sent me over a screener. Seeing that this was released in 2024 and in horror, I knew that I was going to check this out. Part of it is that I strive to have a well-rounded look at the year so checking out an independent film that I'd otherwise not know about helps there. I came into this one knowing as little as possible as well.

Synopsis: a surreal horror film about greed and masculinity in American suburbia.

We start this off with a quote from the bible from the book of Leviticus. It is about a house having leprosy and needing to be cleansed. From there, we see a woman running through the woods. It is distorted which isn't shocking seeing the synopsis. Her name is Mallory (James Chase). She goes missing.

After the opening credits, we then shift to a detective asking questions to Luke (Anthony Carey). Our detective is played by John Heerlein. Luke is Mallory's half-brother and guardian since their father died. She is 19 years old though. Throughout this interview, Luke is staring at the gun on the detective's belt. Luke is also a writer, which is something that is said.

We then go over to Alan Roscoe Jr. (Cox). His father recently passed away and he's stepping into the shoes of a local council. There is voice-over narration here about routines and we see him getting ready as well as making a blueberry pie. The rest of the council shows up and this includes Janice (Paula Mahler). There is friction here as she also brought a dessert, saying that she always does. She also constantly interrupts Alan as he isn't doing things like his father or how the council is used to.

This disappearance of Mallory factors into this community's life. Janice comes back over saying they should start a search party. Alan thinks it's better to wait until the next morning. He is adamant about it. She also comes back over for her pie pan. Alan claims to not have it and Janice comes in to search for herself. There is something not quite right about his house or this could be something within him. He starts to see his deceased father at the piano in the living room.

We also come back to Luke who is conversing with someone named Jack (Matthew Mahler). He tells him that he needs to write. This is a struggle though since Luke is having vivid dreams. The detective thinks he had something to do with the disappearance of Mallory, but he needs proof. There is something more going on here though that will change the lives of everyone forever.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this is a difficult film to talk about. I'm not sure I fully understood everything that I saw. This does interesting things with the visuals and sound design that I appreciated. I found myself getting lost in it and it gave me an unnerving feeling that I'll credit. I don't think that this has the deepest story, I'm not sure that it necessarily needs it though. Now that I'm truly living in a suburb, this made me uncomfortable as well.

Filmmaking is where I'll dive first then since that is the important thing here. I knew from the opening scene with Mallory and then the credits that we would be getting an arthouse film. The synopsis even braces you for that. The distortion of the images with colors or slowing the footage down where it blurs was interesting. I loved it. It feels like the filmmaker was inspired by Mario Bava or Dario Argento with the use here. I'll also credit the cinematography to capture these visuals. That surreal feel also helps build an eerie atmosphere. The sound design and music selections worked there as well. All of this worked for me.

Let me then get over to the story. I don't mind what we have. We set the stage that something odd is here and Mallory disappearing turns the police on to it. Alan sees his dead father in his living room and it seems that Alan Sr. (John Mahler) needs him to do something. What I like is that there could be something supernatural or maybe Alan Jr. Has lost touch with reality from grief. He hears something in the basement that he needs to either feed or must appease.

There's also this character of Jack. He tells Luke to do things. He also says that Mallory is fine and that she will turn up. It is something along those lines. This person we get to see, but never fully. An example is that it would be part of their face while they're lying down. The framing there was well done. Jack has a correlation with Alan and that house which I found interesting. Where this ends was something, I wasn't expecting. I also enjoy that there is commentary on the area where they live and how behind closed doors, we don't know what is happening.

What I think helps here is the acting. I'm not going to say that it's great. It fits what we need from the characters and not asking them to do too much. I'm not just saying this since Cox since me the screener, but he was good. I like that he seems to be holding on to his sanity by a thread and someone like Janice is trying that patience. We get glimpses behind that curtain which is eerie. Carey was good as Luke. I think I need to be a bit more fleshed out for him to work better. Matthew Mahler was good as this individual that we hear but is ominous with what we don't get. I like Paula Mahler as Janice. This feels like women I've met who run little groups like this. Heerlein was good as a detective. Chase has an interesting musical number that fits the surreal vibe. Other than that, I thought the rest of the cast worked in their roles.

In conclusion, this is a solid little film. We don't get the deepest story, but what we do flows well. This is more about the visuals though. There is a surreal, arthouse vibe here that made me uncomfortable in the best way possible. The acting fit what was needed for the characters. I hate to say this though that it won't be for everyone. I do think there is an audience out there that will appreciate what is being done with the cinematography, editing, lighting and the sound design for sure.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.