I clicked on expecting a Hitchcockian thriller but got so much more than I bargained for. And so much better.
A kind of Dadaist collage of very short, disconnected scenes constantly swipe to the right - phone camera pov shots, dashcams, live CCTV, apparently found footage of some aged 1990s tourist videos, an art installation, and blip clips from an evangelical website - remains disorientating, disturbing and disgusting throughout, though never ever less than compelling.
Slowly themes and stories begin to coalesce. Never too completely, however; threads and non-sequiturs are left dangling, the unresolved nature being an essential part of the package.
This is an extraordinarily imaginative film, its style reflecting the traumatised state of mind of victims of violence, with the listless swipe on to the next images like a stupefied, semi-catatonic internet addict. I suspect it was very low budget but the creative team turned this into a virtue in almost every respect.
I haven't mentioned any storyline or plot, nor will I - please watch for yourself. The writing, dialogue, direction and editing are all cutting edge excellent. Likewise every one of the cast of largely unknown actors delivers a powerful, utterly believable performance.
Inspirations from Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' and Michael Mann's 'Collateral' are clearly referenced in the dialogue. Like everything else about this film that's a bold move, but I think both those brilliant directors would tip their hat to Paul Ruven and his collaborators. Maybe Hannah Hoch and Marcel Duschamp too - it's that good.
