The Bloodhound

And, a strange movie it is. But, really well done. If you liked Eraserhead you will like this movie. The plot is fairly simple -- "Old friend" wasn't really that much of a friend. No, this movie is all about the mood. The melancholy. I would watch it again in a minute just to see the absolutely perfect Mid-Century Modern house and furnishings. Whoever did the set totally nailed it. Top-to-bottom, accurate Mid-Century Modern.

Is it slow? Yes. Does everything make sense? No. But I don't think that was the point of this movie. If you need a tight little average story with an A-Z typical plot, this is not the film for you. If you like a film that conveys ambiance and disturbing, vague suggestions of a back-story, then you'll probably like it.

Weird, super slow, boring movie. None of it made sense, and I had no idea if stuff was suppose to be real or a dream. Who is sewer dude? Just confusing, even the very end still made no sense. I was lured in by the trailer saying it was from producers of The Endless, which is a fabulously strange low budget thriller, but this just is a waste of film. Save yourself and go watch The Endless instead please. :o

It's beautifully shot, and the boys are cute, everything else is just plain-ass weird, even worse, 'theater' weird.

At the invitation of a wealthy childhood friend to come stay at his remote home, a poor photographer arrives to find some unexpected residents.

A study in the generational decay of a family, and so peculiar that it seems integrated purely through mood and location. The two friends are mutually genial at first, but a crack opens up, to the point of rupture. A twin sister appears to the guest in dreams, her only remains apparent in her dressing-table items and a bedside bowl of vomit. And lurking in a closet is a hooded man, originating from a creek-bed, who scrabbles across the floor during the night.

The location is a brown, straight-angled house, with steel-barred staircases that slash across the cinematographer's frames. Below is a sepulchral vault, which comes in to play as the lighting of the house glows red with the approaching climax. The score uses tinkling piano, wind-chimes and clicky-sticks.

The dynamic between the friends is of the host staging a betrayal by the guest, as if to confirm his hypothesis of the loneliness of existence; that between the twins, of doomed dependency. The role of the hooded man is creepy and plain mysterious. In the end, there's a sense of a curse being handed down. The performances are excellent.

It's an engaging watch, but no matter what angle I took, it didn't intrigue me because I couldn't get beneath the mood of solemn resignation. It seems to be an adaptation of the famous Poe story, but even that knowledge didn't free up any insight.

Overall: Awaiting instruction.

The original story came out in 1839. In this version the house itself is mid-century modern, the characters are 21st century, and the mood is strictly fin de siecle decadence, wavering between ennui and angst.

It's a little self-indulgent, but overall a pretty nifty little film.