Unfriended (2014)
*** (out of 4)
Six friends get together in a chat room on the one year anniversary of the suicide of a girl they all knew. At first the six are just having some fun but they soon realize that there's someone else online with them who is about to bring out their darkest secrets.
UNFRIENDED seems to be getting a lot of mixed reviews in regards to some people downright loving it while others finding it to be a complete mess. Logic is always a very big issue when it comes to horror films and more often than not it's best that you turn your brain off and just enjoy. While watching this film I was certainly enjoying it and I thought the mystery of what was going on was captivating but there's no question that if you start to think then you're going to find some loose ends.
With that said, I found the film's mystery to be extremely well-made and it played out quite successfully. I'm not going to spoil anything about the film since that would be unfair to new viewers but the movie uses current technologies like a chat room, instant messenger, Facebook, Skype and other things. It plays out in real time, which was another great bonus because it feels as if you're right there in this chat room. Director Levan Gabriadze and writer Nelson Greaves have really broken a wall down because there really hasn't been anything like this done before. Sure, the elements have been in other movies but never put together like this.
Another thing that works so well is that all six of the actors do a terrific job. Not for a second do you feel as if you're not watching real teenagers battle it out. Some have called the characters annoying and I'd agree with that but in this case it actually helps because these are flawed characters and their dumbness, shallowness and ugliness just helps the central mystery. Technically speaking the film is well-made and it certainly keeps you guessing as to what's going to happen next, which is the hardest thing for any horror movie to do. While I never found it to be scary, the film was still a success.
I think the film is a lot deeper than many are going to give it credit for. It's funny but I think this here really does play to generations. I'm not sure if someone in their 80's would fully get everything going on here. Not because they're not smart enough but today's times are just different and the "event" that leads to the "mystery" here is something that happens quite often on social media. This film certainly attacks current issues and does so in a believable way. UNFRIENDED is a lot smarter than most are giving it credit for.
