Due to a very late and partially sleepless night thanks to ‘Grave Encounters’ I have slacked on a great deal of viewing today. I caught ‘The Selling’ and ‘Kidnapped’. How can two films be so different and great while being shown back to back. Again its a testament to Abertoir’s variety in their selections. If anything I wish ‘The Selling’ had been shown after ‘Kidnapped’ purely down to how intense and disturbing the latter was.
‘The Selling’ was a fun and heart warming comedy about a haunted house and a man who is too nice for his cutthroat real estate agent job. With a fun cameo from potential actor of the festival Barry Bostwick it’s a mostly silly affair, but a great feel-good movie too with enough movie references to ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘The Shining’, ‘Jaws’ and ‘Poltergeist’ to keep horror fans happy. Its a great film and has strongly made me want to check out Gabriel Diani and Etta Devine’s other works.
‘Kidnapped’ on the other hand was the total opposite. A gritty Spanish film concerning a break-in and subsequent breakdown of a family unit. It is as tense as tense can be and is ahead of the curve in terms of innovation. Like Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’, ‘Kidnapped’ utilises minimalistic takes, favouring long, lingering shots over high-speed Hollywood cutting. Some of the split screen action is astonishingly beautiful, considering the content. Am strongly considering a full review for this one. One of the most uncomfortable cinema experiences I’ve been a part of.
So there it is…my rather short and extreme Day Three at Abertoir 2011. Tomorrow’s schedule includes a comedy-horror-musical (it’s like someone made a film with me in mind!), German film Masks and a Masque of the Red Death party with live musical performances. Expect an update on Saturday!
