Without Name

There are some odd occurrences that make you want to keep watching. All in all it's ju sty a lot of weirdness that doesn't amount to much but some psychedelic imagery and effects. Rather a waste of time for me.

This movie has some amazing shots of the forest and the dark gloomy environment that the cottage is surrounded by. Other than that, this movie was a waste of time. It is extremely slow paced and the dialogue was subpar. I've seen some reviews mention that the slow burn helps intensify horror movies like this, but I disagree because this movie is not a horror. I'm not sure what genre it is exactly but I'd say it's closer to a psychological thriller than horror. That makes the fact that NOTHING HAPPENS/IS EXPLAINED even worse. The plot essentially begins with something mystical going on in these woods and ends without expanding on the thought. The movie ends without explaining what is going, how it's happening or why. The ending is also extremely predictable after 3/4 of it if you pay attention. This was very disappointing

I fancied some escapism and had wanted to see this for a while. It looked dark, brooding and potentially a little off the wall. There's a lot of space here, in the frame, in the dialogue, it invites you in. Shot mostly in rural Ireland, Alan McKenna plays the central role, isolated in a simple existence. One of surveying said rural areas. Think forests, old country houses, with creepy books on the shelves, old framed cross-stitch on the walls and a sense of foreboding in the stillness. There's some good thriller tropes and it's a bit Blair Witch without the whining. There's enough bumps, creaks, menacingly eerie gusts of wind to keep you on your toes and more than one occasion that frightened the life out of me. If McKenna does a good job as he slips into his own paranoia and fictional confusion, the real stars are Gavin O'Brien and Neil O'Connor in the sound department, single handedly driving the tension in almost every scene. It's not brilliant and far from perfect, but it sweeps along building nicely and comes to an oddly satisfying end.

The natural world, with its serenity and stillness, brings comfort for many. For Eric, a land surveyor who heads to the woods solely to escape a shattered marriage, it brings something else. Summoned by a mysterious client to a cabin far from the concrete dullness of his suburban home, Eric eagerly awaits the arrival of Olivia who is both surveying partner and mistress. Olivia encourages Eric to live his dreams, yet he is a man who has none. Within the mist and moss covered forest, shadows intrude. The stillness combined with obtrusive locals, unsettle something in Eric's psyche.

Without Name immerses the audience in a surreal world filled with spectral auras and tones. The forest alternately glows and darkens, appearing like a dance floor where possibilities brighten in the flickering light, then dissipate into murkiness again. I love this film theme, where reality and dreams merge together and become indistinguishable from each other. I only wish the dialogue and action sequences were as deep as the film themes. Seen at the Miami International Film Festival.

This was very creepy thanks to clever photography and sound effects, and genuinely good acting. It is, however, a rather quiet and slow moving film with not much happening apart from the characters' minds playing tricks on them. It turns very weird towards the end. I think the guy who wrote this had too many mushrooms...