February

Much appreciated. Sophisticated and subtle. Great job in the sound department.

Those who have not witnessed Kiernan Shipka's talent in "Mad Men" will surely find here some convincing material to make up their minds. The other two main actresses were also remarkable, however for exclusively aesthetic reasons, I must add.

Concerning the plot, I believe it is important to emphasize its non linear nature : a key element to reconstruct the overall "Stimmung".

I must criticize the trailer, despite having been convinced by it to approach the movie in the first place; the allusions to "erotic charge" are deeply misleading and cast a negative influence on the viewers, distracting them from the main, yet hidden, theme of the movie : the Occult. I rarely experienced a more discrete and effectively symbolic handling of such a complicated and debated matter. The way the Occult's first appearance on the scene is connected to the principal plot twist is also deeply satisfying. The final scenes also need to be focused on : they both bring the missing pieces in the plot and offer an open, surprising end.

My only critic would regard the excessive abundance of implicit hermeticism : some traits of the story could and should have been properly expanded (Kat's parents, some more details about Rose, a more complete view of the boarding school, the true origins of Kat's "sickness", just to make a few examples).

February is a flawed film. It is also a fantastic film.

It takes place in the middle of a cold, snowy Canadian winter at an all-girls boarding school. The winter break is approaching and all the girls are picked up by their parents to spend a week at home. The exception is Kat (Kiernan Shipka), a very young girl whose parents don't show up and she begins to fear them dead, and Rose (Lucy Boynton), an older girl who has lied to her parents because she wanted to spend the break alone at the school. As time goes on, Kat gets more and more worried about her parents and acting stranger and stranger. Meanwhile, a couple of towns over, another young lady, Joan (Emma Roberts), escapes from a mental institution. She seems to be on the move toward the boarding school where the other two girls are. I would advise against seeing trailers or looking up anything further about the plot, this movie is best experienced with no preconceptions of the sub-genre or where it is going, because it leaves you most open to what it tries to do.

The magic of this movie is mostly in its extremely distinct mood, an almost undefinable aura or quality to it. All of the aspects of film making mirror the cold, snowy winter - music, the pace, the character interactions. The characters speak lazily, morbidly to each other, everything has a hint of cold tension underneath it. I've never seen a horror movie with this particular type of mood, and I always welcome unique experiences.

The script is also expertly crafted. I like how subtly the mystery is revealed to the viewer - it is not spoon-fed at any point, and it is quite well-concealed for at least the first half of the movie. We only get pieces that almost seem impossible to fit together, yet they come together in a perfectly obvious and coherent conclusion. On top of that, the story radiates an overwhelming sadness which elicited a very strong emotional response from me personally. Mostly due to Shipka's amazing acting, which stole every scene (the other two girls are great too, just overshadowed by the youngest cast member). She really captures the desolate emptiness required of her role.

The flaws are really mostly superficial, and a product of the fact that the movie was made by a relatively young cast. The director clearly has a good eye for morbid beauty, and he has made a movie that is much more artistic than the average horror, but I still found that some of his stylistic choices were cheesier and more generic than he seems to think they were. He's still a very talented guy, he just needs to find a more humble and grounded balance between innovation and reference. Still can't wait until he makes another horror though, I will definitely be following him!

'The Blackcoat's Daughter' is a dark and brooding suspense about two pretty but very different teenage girls left behind at a religious boarding school during a winter break. The eldest girl has devised to stay behind and has made plans to visit her boyfriend. The younger, more reserved girl seems anxious, and grows distraught about her dilemma. Our third lead character is a mysterious and troubled young woman (Emma Roberts) who has fled from a psychiatric institution and is making passage towards the school. She's helped by a concerned middle-aged couple.

The film cuts erratically from girl to girl, to the girls together with the two remaining staff members, and to the traveling young woman. Interwoven with these cuts are some brief and confusing flashbacks. All hell begins to fly loose and the audience is tasked to make sense of it. This is fun for some, but frustrating for others.

The tempo is mostly slow and the mood is dreary, but it's not tedious to watch. The sound effects and track were way over the top and became a distraction. I'm convinced that a blind person could piece things together just with the sound and a basic description of the scenes and characters. The set and costumes were unremarkable and lent nothing... a solid D. The acting was largely convincing and our three leading ladies did very well, B+ or better.

Those who appreciate thoughtful suspense that presents the audience with a puzzle with minor twists, then you'll certainly enjoy this. It's for this reason that I strongly advise viewers NOT to read any reviews that contain spoilers or an extended synopsis, nor seek out trailers or clips. This is a good date or bestie movie for those who can enjoy a macabre suspense. It allows plenty of conversational material during and following.

There are some moderate horror elements to the movie, increasingly so towards the end. These elements won't repel those who don't normally enjoy horror flicks nor fulfill the explicit horror fans.

* TBD is an interesting film that is GUARANTEED to polarize horror lovers. It's a very simple narrative from a story standpoint, but what it lacks in narrative it's saved in spades by atmosphere and mystery. This is more of a psychological-thriller than a splatter-fest or hack-and-slash.

* So let's get the obvious out of the way, yes, it's a slow movie. It's a slow burn and I'd even say the climax is rather tame (not lame) in terms of gore/excitement/reward. Yes, it builds to a somewhat bloody climax but it's not balls to the wall crazy, so I'm afraid some will think the slow burn 70 minute build up isn't worth the wait.

* The movie is a classic case of style over substance. The gray color palette and dreary snow gives the movie its potent atmosphere. Throw in a great soundtrack/score (note: the music isn't like "It Follows" where you can listen to individual tracks). This movie's music perfect compliments specific scenes and builds some tension. It's a great addition even if it's not something I would go to Youtube and listen to compared to other horror soundtracks.

* This is a good slow burn horror movie, it's not perfect (mostly because the story is bare bones), but it's definitely watchable thanks to the three female leads. All of them are fantastic! So if you think you can handle a slow burn (with a more thought provoking climax opposed to a splatter fest) then this is something you should check out!

Im glad I found this movie; unfortunately it had a limited release and there was not much buzz about it. So when I found it, I did not expect much. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Although there is not much originality, it was well done and made me uncomfortable!

The tone of the movie was dreadful and was beautifully supported by the score, the cinematography, and the acting. The pace of the movie was slow, but the payoff was excellent. No cheap jump scares, the right amount of gore, and a clever plot.

Horror fans should definitely give this movie a watch!