Luz

I give Luz a 5 out of 10. I do this because I at least owe the makers of this movie their due. I think they did what they set out to do. The problem is that they didn't include the audience. A movie can be a lot of things; smart, angry, dijointed, simplistic, action packed, erotic, whatever.... But doesn't it still have to be appealing? Otherwise what's the point?

Trust me. Whatever underlying tones or metaphors are present with this movie will not be reached by hardly anyone. And I would contest that those who claim to understand what's going on with this movie are fooling you and themselves.

These art movies can continue to be produced the way they are. That's fine and even great, but give the audience a payoff, or something. Anything at all. This movie doesn't deliver anything for the effort you will put into watching it.

I was in the mood for a heavy art flick, so I was already bracing myself for a lot of languid pacing and droning shots. Luz definitely scratched the itch and aesthetically I really enjoyed it. It feels very much like vintage Cronenberg, using 16mm film and a lot of well framed slow pans as well as a wonderfully moody synth score.

The way the narrative is expressed is vague and nonlinear. I realize this is part of the overall style, but can't help but feel it was taken a step too far. I'll admit I lost track of what was going on at points, and it was only through digging online and re-watching scenes afterwards that I was able to piece it all together. It's aim isn't for "anything goes" surrealism, there's actually a cohesive plot that's steeped in horror/sci-fi tradition, you just gotta do some work to put it together. If you enjoy unravelling riddles, this might be up your alley, but I personally prefer films you can decipher on the first watch. At only 70 minutes, there certainly was room to spell things out a little bit without fully loosing the abstract edge.

I've heard this was a student film, if so, great work, keep it up! I love your vibe, but can you help me out and explain things a little more next time?

Not the easiest film to find, I'd wanted to watch this for a while after the trailer did what all good trailers should do. I'm hooked to start, with a opening shot that's held uncomfortably long, ambitious considering the overall thrifty run time. It's stark with a retro grade and worn VHS look. The minimal aesthetic really appeals, but there's something missing, there's very little warmth or investment in the characters, with a palatable dirt on screen that permeates everything. For all the tension being ramped, the grime, the editing, the hyper scripted dialogue, it all slowly pulls apart. Despite it's stunted plot of a devilish nature and generally undesirable characters, there are some pluses. The score being one, reminiscent of an 80s slasher flick, it's definitely the films strongest asset. The European art house feel makes it feel cinematic, intentionally confusing in nature. Scenes built around slow creeping shots, almost entirely on one set, with often inactive people, waiting. Director Tillman Singer clearly has a thing for Lynch. As things progress it does manage to find its feet, with a second act reminiscent of a small theatre play, time frames overlapping, lines twisting through their own narrative into others, it's wonderfully bonkers, albeit a tad overplayed. It's all precursor to a truly off the wall finale, that although ambitious, really just doesn't work and ends in a bit of a disjointed mess. It really doesn't live up to its trailer, but I'm still pleased I gave it a go.

I adore Simon Waskow's score - persistent, tense, and slowly building in the background. I love the performances, all filled with a quiet, nuanced intensity. And I greatly appreciate the way that these words also describe 'Luz' as a whole. This is very low budget, very low key, and very out of the ordinary - and brilliant in the way it organically integrates into the narrative the sidestep of its limitations. Built on extremely subtle implementation of supernatural horror, the feature relies on the power of suggestion - in the story, but also in how the story is told.

This is absolutely extraordinary - taking place mostly within the setting of a single room, yet through its incredible, underhanded approach, nonetheless taking us to many different places. The film is short in duration, yet huge in scope. It's deeply minimal in appearance - and at first blush, seemingly disordered - yet nonetheless crafts an astounding, unsettling atmosphere, and conveys a complete, coherent, cohesive, and masterfully compelling tale that far exceeds its basic construction. Why, given the nature of the production, in some ways this feels like an experimental stage play, executed with utmost refinement. Major feature films with substantial financial backing have achieved much less with far more, and have been far less successful in communicating a very real and awe-inspiring sense of horror.

It's hardly possible to single out just one person in the cast, because everyone gives a phenomenal performance well beyond what their few collective credits would portend. The effects in the movie are bare-bones, but the blood, fog, and a few other minor visuals look great, more than what one may expect of such a picture of such humble origins. This is accordingly the first feature of writer-director Tilman Singer, and moreover it apparently began as a student film. Especially with that in mind, I very much look forward to seeing what Singer makes in the future; this is an exemplary debut of exquisite, delicate film-making and storytelling. The screenplay is outstanding in all ways, and as a director Singer likewise shows a capability transcending his inexperience, arranging scenes of far greater sophistication than what they appear on the surface.

It's difficult to write further without broaching plot points, and I would soon begin to repeat myself. I can certainly appreciate that this isn't necessarily the sort of movie for a wide general audience - it's pointedly understated in its approach to both craft and narrative, and delightfully, deviously sneaky and cryptic in exploring that approach to its fullest. Yet the great joy the movie represents is in its defiance of the superficially uneventful, disjointed presentation to weave a tale of supernatural horror that stands tall with the best known and most well acclaimed features of the genre. Ultimately, no matter how I try to explain, this is a picture you just need to see for yourself. As far as I'm concerned, 'Luz' is one of the most remarkable horror films I've seen - absorbing, captivating, satisfying, and rewarding, and deserving of significantly more attention and praise than I alone can provide. Wherever you can watch it, this earns my highest recommendation!

... by a self help group from a secure psychiatric asylum to replicate the images they live with when not on their prescribed medication. That, or the cast and crew had discovered and used LSD just before filming began. You may need to do the same to make rhyme or reason of any of this.