Fang

Trying to get through his troubled life, a young man living with his sick mother and a live-in maid comes to believe that an encounter with a rat living in the house is slowly turning him into a rat-like creature and must keep the secret from others while carrying out his miserable existence.

This was a somewhat flawed genre effort. Among the better aspects at play here is the genuine sympathy elicited throughout here as this tries to make us care for what's going on. Seeing how his mother's mental and physical decline is occurring right in front of him with the quips and comebacks that manage to be forgotten about seconds later, the living conditions they're in or the overall issues he faces at work all combine together to paint a very endearing portrait of him long before he begins to undergo the psychological breakdown associated with the supposed transformation. Getting this aspect added to the mix only furthers everything established until then by taking the idea of the stress associated with the situation and applying it to the transformation that only ends up furthering his own mental snap. This is all quite fun and really helps to give this some likable factors for the most part. There are some issues to be had with this one. The biggest drawback to this one comes from the rather over-the-top means this takes to try to showcase his horrible living conditions that aren't rife with cliché upon cliché. Featuring tons of work to build up how his work life is a complete waste with a dead-end mentality and a jerk of a boss, disrespectful co-workers and no shortage of back-talk from his senile mother, this part of the film is incredibly easy to see where it's going and not offer up any kind of surprises which makes it all quite repetitive and frustrating. That carries over into the rest of his home life as dealing with his mother's instabilities and how that all takes a toll on everything around him creates way too much of a dead-end portrait that it becomes unbelievable even before taking the transformation into account. The unfortunate side-effect of that clichéd build-up is the film's other pretty overwhelming issue in that there's not much in the way of genuine horror going on for a large part of the running time. While running through the clichés of his troubled work and chaotic home lives gives a great sympathetic turn for him just on that basis alone, hardly any of it is terrifying or thrilling which is pretty problematic while waiting for things to get crazy regarding the belief that he's undergoing the physical change. Rather than give us the potential that something he's saying is supposed to be true, we're forced to take his word for it due to the generally underwhelming attempts at injecting a horrific atmosphere into these moments. That also causes the film to run on way too long for its own good and stretch out a running time it didn't need to, all of which drag this one down considerably.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Well written script about a subject that, on some levels, something we've all felt, struggled with and have experienced. The mental illness journey that the main character endures is fascinating, eerie and real.

The relationship between the elder parent and him depicts a clash of something he must do out of necessity and love vs wanting the responsibility of it all to end. The mother actor was very good in portraying her own slip with reality.

But when he breaks, he breaks hard into an abyss that he could never escape....though he tried. You have the relationship building, suspense and even a bit of gore.... something for everyone!

If you watch other independent films before you watch this one, you'll understand why I gave it a 7 (granted I wanted to do like a 6.5 so I rounded up).

As someone who has watched a LOT of indie films and gets distracted easily, I can tell you I actually watched this whole film--YAY. Most indie films, especially if they're over 30 minutes long, they don't stand a chance at holding my attention normally.

Now, this film is far from perfect. A lot of things don't make sense and there are a lot of filler walking scenes that were unnecessary (also can we get Billy a better broom for that warehouse??). However, the lead actors as well as the lighting and cinematography of this film really carry it though. The colorization is absolutely gorgeous and the camerawork gives this film a boost beyond independent films. Dylan LaRay and Lynn Lowry absolutely capture your attention when they're in scenes together, and, again, it's better than a lot of independent films that are out there.

Wow!

The performances here are first rate!

Dylan La Ray, as Billy Cochran, and Lynn Lowry, as Billy's mother, Gina Cochran, bring strong skill, believability and nuance to this small but important film. Jess Paul, as Myra Valenti, Mrs. Cochran's caretaker and Billy's friend, also delivers a first rate performance.

Billy Cochran is a lonely 23 year old whose dad died young. He works a mind numbing job at a meat packing plant and comes home to a dingy Chicago apartment, where he tends to his aging, ailing mother. Once free from work and home responsibilities, Billy likes to draw, building elaborate alternate worlds and species in his art-notebook. But Mother is never far away, and yes, there are shades of Psycho here, as Billy's creative time is constantly interrupted by Mom's extreme neediness.

As Billy's mother slips ever deeper int late stage Alzheimer's she becomes emotionally abusive. This emotional and verbal abuse, along with a plot device that I won't mention so not to reveal any spoilers, cause Billy to begin his own slow slide into despair.

Dylan's ability to show us Billy's growing torment is truly remarkable, and Gina is simply stunning in her seamless switches through a massive range of human emotions, sometimes all in the same scene, with a face that goes from sweet and maternal to twisted and sinister at the flip of a switch.

Mood and tone are ominous, pushed along by very creepy soundtrack. Setting and locations are gritty urban rust, and Billy's transformation into something "other" seems all too real.

My only beef would be with the hard nosed boss. I believe this plot line could have been better developed. That said, this is an indie horror film on a budget, there's never enough time/money for everything; concentrating on that which matters most is what works.

Fang is a worthy film from Richard Burgin, an important new writer/director. I look forward to seeing what he does next!

Richard Burgin delivers with Fang on all levels. Engaging story, great cinematography, killer sets and phenomenal acting by all especially the lead and Lynn Lowry. The chemistry between these two was excellent and kept you on edge. The rest of the cast was great. Very impressive score and sound design helped to get the frantic and nerve wracking scenes across. The use of the lighting and colors helped tell the story especially in the bar scenes. I can't forget the gory and realistic practical Fx that was in the movie. I'm a big fan of practical Fx and glad to see this in this film. Check this out and share the love!!