Indie Roundup #3
Since im going away next week for 10 days and won't be able to post for a while, I thought I would do another indie roundup before I leave... Here's 3 of the best indie and arthouse films that I recommend you watch along with their trailers so you don't have to bring YouTube up!
Submarine
Submarine is a brilliant film if you're in the mood to laugh and you love deadpan British humour, the film is filled with cynical and quirky jokes that delivery every time. It's a film about a teenage boy and his coming of age in a small Welsh town, its based on a critically acclaimed book of the same name, and borrows many of the jokes found in the book for the film. The film is the directorial debut of Richard Ayoade, the nerdy one from The IT Crowd, and is very impressive for a debut. The performances certainly help, with Craig Roberts' fantastic role as Oliver Tate being one of the most hilarious I've seen in a long time, Paddy Considine as the slightly mad Graham is also a brilliant performance, and proves that he doesn't just have to play dark roles like that of his acclaimed Dead Man's Shoes performance. The film sounds beautiful, with an unusually quiet and relaxing score by The Arctic Monkeys front runner Alex Turner providing the film's music, which really works with whats happening on screen. The film looks beautiful too, with rich colours and gorgeous backdrops giving the film its own unique look, the camera work is also brilliant, using quick cuts and Wes Anderson style uber close ups mixed with nostalgic super 8 montages. Speaking of Wes Anderson, the film appears to borrow many elements from his films, most noticably the humour, as Submarine's deadpan humour matches Anderson's films perfectly. That being said, Submarine is a wonderful coming of age film, and anyone who loves British comedies should definately give it a watch.
The House of the Devil
The House of the Devil is an indie horror film that is a complete throwback to the 80's. Its a film that is not just inspired by 80's horror films, it IS an 80's horror film, just released in 2009... From the opening scene its clear that this isn't your typical modern teen horror film, the retro soundtrack and titles are blatantly inspired some of the classic slasher films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween. The film appears to follow the same sort of plot you have seen before, a babysitter goes to a house in the middle of nowhere to be told she is in fact babysitting the owner of the house's mother, its all a very standard affair. The difference here however is that the director, TI West (Innkeepers, segment in V/H/S), turns every expectation you have on its head, making the film more of a send up of those 80's films. This isn't to say that the film isn't scary, it is, the tension that West builds up as Samantha is roaming the house with her Walkman on, listening to loud music as we know something more sinister is happening is almost unbearable. The gory payoff at the end however is well worth the nerve crushing build up, and the ending credits are a brilliant play on expectations. If you're looking for a nostalgic indie horror film that breaks all the rules, then look no further than The House of the Devil.
Another Earth
I will be the first person to admit that this film has its flaws, yes its not perfect, but since when was perfection the only thing worth watching? This is a drama film disguised as a sci-fi, which seems to be the reason that some people are upset about it, it does not conform to your expectations and therefore some people found it to be frustration. I personally think that while it might not be a sci-fi film, its a brilliant drama. The film revolves around Rhoda (Brit Marling), a girl who crashes her car into another car after a party and kills a mother and her son who were inside, its also about the discovery of another earth identical to this one, which is the cause of the crash itself as Rhoda is looking towards the sky. When Rhoda wins a ticket aboard the first flight to this new earth, she begins to ask questions about what she will find there, and whether her parallel self will have made the same mistakes that she did. The film is also somewhat of a love story, Rhoda decides that she wants to meet the husband of the mother who died in the crash, and becomes his cleaner in an attempt to apologise and make up for her mistakes, the two then fall in love at which point she tells him who she is. The film is very quiet, yet packs an emotional punch, the performances are all very downplayed, which makes the film seem much more human and real, despite its themes. While some complained about the end of the film, I felt that it was perfect, and really brings about more questions once the credits have ended. If you're looking for an intelligent drama about life, regret and consequences, then check out Another Earth.
That's it for this weeks indie roundup, I'm on holiday next week so expect some new posts and reviews in a couple of weeks when I'm back, keep checking my twitter for more info!
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