Rift

This is a powerful film, but not for the faint of heart!

The isolated Icelandic landscape setting gives this break-up story story an eerie feel. The characters' memories of their broken relationship are as beautiful as they are haunting. The film is sometimes frighteningly tense, and despite the scarce dialoge it manages to stay aesthetically interesting throughout.

I decided to watch the film because it promised to be a non-mainstream little gem. Considering the boundary conditions (especially the small budget and the short shooting time) I was really amazed by the actors' performances. I had the feeling that they prepared excellently for their parts, while the director knew exactly what to show. The atmosphere is captivating (although a bit cliché and borrowed from countless other drama-horror movies) and the Island landscapes superb (however not really owing to the director but to nature).

All things being the film was very promising, but ended up being very mediocre. The characters do not evolve much, new random personality elements appear without being explained or supported, the story line sucks heavily and the ending is predictable and nonsensical at the same time. Countless questions go by unanswered. For some this is not a problem, since they are simply connected to the heroes' past and are open to interpretation, others, however, are crucial to the story line (like why on earth at a given time one would in the middle of the night get off the car at start wandering in a deserted place) and make the protagonists simply look stupid.

Watch the film if you like National Geographic documentaries, enjoy the sceneries shown and the acting, but switch off any need to explain or even remotely understand the plot.

I went into this not knowing what to expect. Is it a slasher? Ghost story? Psychological thriller? Home invasion? I ended up finding out it's a slow mystery. The movie runs a little too long but the characters are interesting and the movie had a decent plot and for that I give it 6 stars. Not bad at all, good, just not great. The actors performances were great though. It's unique to find LGBTQ mysteries so see it for yourself if this subject interests you.

This is a superb thriller for those like me who enjoy brainteasers. I'll have to watch the story again to try to decipher some clues (mysterious red car, Einar's red coat, the little lad's red shirt)--these bright colours.contrasting with the greys of the often sombre, chilly landscape. The moods were intense, and something eerie was happening yet I couldn't grasp fully what is was. Is Gunnar sometimes dreaming? This kept my interest during the slow parts as I studied the meaning and nuances of the characters' broken relationship. So yes, the film is cerebral and forces the watcher to think. Thank goodness it wasn't another movie about gay men struggling with their sexuality. Nor was it chatty and noisy with banal dialogue that tells rather than SHOWS what the characters are feeling--and thankfully there are no "divas" or other such cliche stereotypes, And the cinematography is splendid. Yes, I highly recommend "Rift to film lovers who like to be.mentally challenged whilst also being entertained. Well done.

Ahhh, the power of the Indie. Do whatever, splash whatever paint on any canvas, call it "art" and let the viewer decide because the artist has no clue.

Oh, sorry, that's just 10% of the movie. The rest of it was nearly fantastic. Well written, completely believable acting, beautifully shot, awesome score and song (in credits.) Not to mention, you truly believed the love between the leads.

But, oddly, and as that paint splashes, brief moments of "horror" are spread throughout this movie which is mostly a drama. An effective drama and those horror elements almost want to stand in the way of this being elevated.

The movie's 1st hero is "Steve Buscemi as Norman Bates" who goes back to control, er, I mean, be the dominate one to the submissive, er, lemme start over. Concerned "Norman" thinks his ex might do something bad. Turns out, his ex is slightly off and he might have motivations of his own.

"Norman" and his ex spend several days in his ex's parents' isolated cabin and while they revisit their recent and abrupt breakup, weird things are going on around the town with a population of 2. (Maybe more, depends on what you call "population.")

The weird stuff, I guess could blend in with the main story, but it also could've easily been deleted and though it might have been a thick and heavy drama, I probably would've loved it more. Especially without the ending we did see.

No spoilers, but it's another indie-cliché of a finale that's kind of disappointing. Especially in a movie so competently made in so many ways.

Well, it's nearly 2 hours. Maybe we can see a cut of this without the weird, Exacto Knife Knocker Killer and his Kid.

***

Final thoughts: Shudder, oh, you "horror" streaming service. Disappoint me, you do more than impress me. You keep getting movies that have 1-10% horror elements and feature them as the latest in horror and/or *EXCLUSIVE TO SHUDDER!* Huh. 1-10% horror IS NOT A HORROR MOVIE. It's a drama or comedy or action with so little horror, it's like calling Disney's The Lion King horror since it had 40 seconds of scary scenes in an hour and half. Tsk. Please stick to what you advertise.