Spring: Love is a Monster

Spring not only manages to blend different genres - especially horror and romance - but also directorial styles from typically distant worlds.

A mature and conscious work that showcases a well-defined style with a script that tells a deep romantic love story.

The visual elegance of the scenes, a mellow and delightful soundtrack and intrinsic quality material elevate this film above the usual cinematic products.

It evokes a feeling that has something of the sublimity: it is mixed at the same time of attraction and repulsion, of disgust and pleasure, of terror and joy.

Wonderful utopia of love lost in time but also an ancient mystery of inexplicable horror.

A horror that wants to talk about feelings, beautifully told against a fairytale backdrop.

Transcends all genres to deliver a story that feels entirely unique.

The film was highly praised and received enthusiastic reviews.

"Spring is one of the best horror films of this decade. A film that has blown me away." - Guillermo del Toro

"A beautiful and unique love story ... a real accomplishment of genre and tone." - Richard Linklater

"Phenomenal....a hybrid of Richard Linklater & H. P. Lovecraft" - rogerebert.

I saw this on a dvd recently. Wasnt keen on watching this. Firstly, it is not a horror film n fans of the horror genre will b disappointed. There is too much chatting between characters but there was something which made me complete the film in one sitting n although as a horror fan i got cheated into seeing this, i cannot dismiss this as a bad film. This film falls perfectly in the Lovecraftian horror genre. Has elements of science fiction, romance, mythos n fate. The acting by the two leads was surprisingly very good n both the characters were likeable. The only drawback is u dont get to see the monster in its full form but thats not the point of the film. Also noteworthy are some beautifully shot scenes. The ending scene was beautifully done with beautiful settings. To b honest, i dont like such films n will not watch these kinda films. One of my online pal convinced me into seeing this. Definitely it is a very good film but not my taste.

I watched this movie without any expectations and was more than satisfied with it.

The story centers on a man traveling abroad after the death of his mother. By chance he happens to find himself in a very rural seaport town in Italy. A an exotic woman catches his eye and a romance begins. The rest of the tale centers on the young mans romance with the exotic woman, who isn't everything she appears to be and has a horrible secret.

This movie is a slow paced film with just enough gore and pacing to hold my interest. I was very satisfied with the tension and build-up at the closing moment of the film.

I highly recommend this to those who like well developed tension building lovecraftian horror. I'd be interested in watching further productions from this group of film-makers.

This is an awesome movie. I really didn't know what to expect when I went into it, because I'd gone in blind based on the strength of "The Endless" and "Resolution". I was not expecting a love story from the two that made those other films, but they pulled it off. Benson and Moorhead not only have something to say (and something worth listening to), but they also have an incredible amount of range. I'll be sure to watch anything else that comes from this team, as I've been consistently impressed with their work. See this film, see their other films, and watch for films from them in the future!

"I'm half undiscovered science, a bunch of confusing biochemistry and some crazy hormones."

"Spring" isn't really a horror film. It's a rather mythological love story with a "not so bad" twist. A story about how true love can overcome obstacles and how that makes you choose irreversible options. And this interspersed with sometimes lurid and bizarre scenes. There are several moments in this film, which also proceeds painfully slow (the only flaw I could think of), where you are wondering what the hell is actually going on. And when everything is explained in detail, you frown and instantly you think "What the f*ck was that ?". I admit that the whole metabolic explanation went over my head the first time, but after a while it became really clear and I realized it was dead simple. Ultimately it was a film that took me by surprise, despite its long playing time, and unexpectedly continued to fascinate me.

The beginning of this remarkable film is I could say brilliant. A scarce setting. Young Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci) bedside of his dying mother. A joke. A blank stare. A final sigh and then ... finito. The day of the funeral ends with an out of control bar fight. To avoid problems with the local police, Evan decides out-of-the-blue to book a plane ticket and travels to distant Italy. Once there, he ends up in the company of two British loudmouths whose main interests are : pouring as much as possible alcohol in their throat, using gore language and constantly trying to seduce an Italian girl. The day they scram and leave Evan behind, he's determined to get acquainted with the beautiful Louise (Nadia Hilker) with whom he briefly made eye contact, somewhere at a village square. He offers his services at some farm in order to pay for his stay and slowly the two grow closer together. What emerges is a not so obvious relationship. The mysterious and impulsive Louise isn't exactly making it easy for Evan and soon the viewer is fully aware that she's hiding a terrible secret.

What is it that makes this film so unique? Several things as I look at it afterwards. The casual and spontaneous way these two people interact, converse and let love flourish between each other. Not with contrived and forced dialogues. It seemed as if their love game unfolds naturally before your eyes and you witness how two charismatic individuals whirl around each other in a flirting way. You wouldn't say that Evan has charisma. He looks more like a meaningless, unqualified,miserable fellow who has no specific goal in his life and also has a limited wardrobe. Yet he came across as profound and intellectual during philosophical conversations with Louise. And certainly the speed at which he could grasp the whole explanation, proves there's a sparkle of some intelligence. Conversely Louise is a chunk of charisma. A mysterious character who Evan can't get hold of and whose reasoning and reactions raises questions. The reason why she is confusing at times and stands aloof, becomes clearer as soon as the terrible secret is revealed. Superb performances without a doubt.

Also cinematically it's a bit different. The camera movements and positions are sometimes surprising. The bird's-eye view sometimes delivers beautiful images such as the boat trip. These splendor images are regularly interrupted by short shots of all kinds of flora and fauna. Bizarre and sometimes incomprehensible. But all this is ultimately connected with the big secret. The most successful scene is when Louise explains the whole mystery to Evan. Although she doesn't want to explain it initially, she changes her mind and she does it while Evan is on its way through the narrow streets of the Italian village. And while stumbling over the cobbles he listens to the eerie tale. I would have preferred that she'd tell this complicated story calmly at a table because the pivoting camera and flashy long sequence demanded all my attention. And this ensured that the final message didn't directly hit me and sounded pretty hazy. The horror clips are scarce, sometimes unclear and sometimes with pretty ugly CGI. Is this done deliberately? Were the resources limited? I have no idea. But ultimately it all fits perfectly with the rest.

Maybe there's a moment when you're wondering where exactly the romance is hiding ? Maybe you dropped off because it's pretty surreal and it all looks strange. And yet you should do the effort to sit through the movie, because the final denouement is pure romance. This is the epitome of true love. Maybe I raved about this film, but I've never seen the concepts live, love, death,pregnancy and rebirth flow into each other in such a subtle way. A simplistic love story with a quirky twist which eventually ends in a way you hoped it would end. A beautiful, unique film that briefly will resonate to some.

More reviews here : http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be