Bugs

//Revelation Film Festival Review//

The best way to describe Bugs would be Stand by Me by way of Harmony Korine. Shot like a 90's music video from an obscure heavy metal band, Bugs is a black and white ode to fleeting youth and the monotony of teenage years after the discovery of a dead schoolgirl barely rattles a suburban town.

While it doesn't posses Korine's madcap boundary-pushing energy, Bugs does manage to capture something universal and deeply troubling about the apathetic generation. Where it struggles is filling its almost 90 minute run time and as the story becomes less structured it gives the impression that the film might have worked better as a short. Still, shot for a reported $20 000, Bugs is an impressive micro-budget debut feature from writer/director Jack Moxey.

I really enjoyed this film. Acting was consistently good with a cast I had not seen anything of previously really impressing me.

The humour in the film was subtle and somewhat gritty and although some humour made me a little uncomfortable I actually think this really added to the films atmosphere.

choices such as having the film in black and white added to the atmosphere and I really enjoyed some of the editing choices and drawn out shots with little cuts.

This film really showed a part of Australian you don't really see and it made this an overall good watch.

Some audio should have been louder, it would have really added to the film and made things more immersive to me. This may however be the cinema I was in's fault.

This film wasn't what I was expecting but it was memorable and overall a great movie that I hope to rewatch,