Videomannen

After I finished the exciting novel named 'sterven met tussenpozen' by our flemish writer Filip Keyaert about a video shop owner during the 80's, his daily life behind the counter, the all round customers, one close buddy and a loving wife at home, I wanted to track down 'videoman'. Finally watched it and I can only say it's a sublime little movie. Very well made with great actors and recommended to all video lovers back in time !

Ennio and Simone are passionate people, survivors from the '80s in a spiritless new millennium. Simone drinks to dull the pain of her unfulfilled existence. Her daughter is giving her the cold shoulder, so she takes refuge in '80s nostalgia, and in her passion for ancient Egypt. Ennio is clinging to his old video stock. He is a collector and smalltime dealer of VHS at a time when people are already moving on from DVD. He loves giallo, '70s Italian slasher films. Picking-up a rarity advertised by Simone, who is clearing her shelves, he has the chance to sell it to a mysterious collector for a small fortune, and get out from under his debts. But then, much like Simone's distant daughter, his mint condition VHS tape disappears without trace.

What Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and High Fidelity did for sports and music fanatics, Videoman does for moviehounds. Like Hornby's heroes, Ennio needs to face up to changing times, but maybe he can still stay true to his principals without selling out? Simone likewise needs to stop propping herself up with booze and walk confidently towards a better future. Can they find their path together, or will their disappointed-positivity get in the way?

Videoman is an offbeat charmer, a comedy with a razor-sharp edge. Like a giallo flick it may lull you into a false state of security, only to launch a surprise out of the shadows. It's a bit funny, a bit depressed, a bit insightful, a bit stupid, a bit grisly. Ennio is, after all, immersed in slasher and T&A movies. Both he and Simone want respect, with little chance receiving any, except from each other. Their relationship is more mutually confessional than that provided to the geeky heroes of the aforementioned Hornby stories by their girlfriends. Videoman takes place in a twilit world full of repressed emotions, emotions that need to burst out. Sweden.

Much like Ennio's giallo classics, Videoman is likely to be a connoisseur's favourite, not a party piece, not a crowd pleaser. But it has a lot of charm, especially for anyone who remembers the '80s and VHS tapes.

This was an unexpected good movie with both laughter and a creping sensation down the neck, that made me check the door lock an extra time time when i got home. With excellent feal and referens to the 80,s VHS boom for all the nostalgic movie fans. Also fun to see some (in Sweden) big actors in not the biggest roles. And all actors deliver without a doubt a good preformance. A well made movie that suprice you in more ways than one.

Great little film that I picked up for just £5. Lots of nods to giallo films and will relate to people who stalked the video shops in the 80s such as myself looking for obscure films we thought we would never actually get to see. Give it a go you could do a lot worse with your 90 mins.

I can understand how people can enjoy the references to other films and the general overall nostalgia of this film but, to be perfectly honest about it, it needs more than just milking the nostalgia of its audience to keep them engaged.

The film is very slow and boring, I only made it to about half way through before I gave up and turned it off. I'm not a guy who does this usually, I'll sit through a film I'm not enjoying simply because I want a complete picture of the film before I write anything. I'm also fine with "slow burn" movies, if the plot is and characters are engaging, I can sit happily taking it all in. But I simply lost patience with it.

This film may well appeal to others, but it just wasn't for me.