Southbound

Referenced Joyce's novel since the same impenetrability and circular narrative style are apparent in "Southbound", an "indie" now playing in very few theaters; only one in the NYC area. It is a movie made up of five connected stories in which the end is the beginning, hence the circular feeling; the same feeling derived from reading the Joyce work.

Although there's no intellectual challenge here, "Southbound" is a cut above the 'slasher' film in technical achievement; it is well-written and acting is surprisingly good. The script is better than normally found and retains the confounding motivation and irrationality predominant in films of this type. But it is a 'slasher' and there are buckets of blood everywhere, with lots of gruesome scenes.

"Southbound" is not for all tastes, but if you like horror movies and the uneasy feeling and sudden blasts of 'scare', this one is for you. It is better than many mainstream films of the genre and should be in many more theaters. But be sure to wear a slicker to protect from blood spatter.

I was happily surprised that this movie was very watchable and reminded me of my old pulp horror comics. Another reviewer was right when he compared it to Tales from the Crypt, so if you like that style of show this will be right up your alley.

The stories are all intertwined one way or another which made me enjoy it even more. Was it great? No, but it was damned good for what it was.

I read too many glowing reviews, which increased my disappointment I feel.

The good: the concept of the 5 loosely related, lurid stories is clever, as is them taking place all in the same desolate area. If you like creepy, graphic horror, that's also present. Also, very imaginative monsters in some of the stories.

The bad: It's not fleshed out enough. I don't need exposition, but these stories are so unexplained it's almost like they ran out of money when filming the picture. And it's so low-budget that it was hard for me to get invested in the characters. The entire concept of what this town might intrigued me, but nothing is explained and I came away wanting more.

Great concept, but lackluster execution.

Southbound is unlike most Horror films, belonging to a sub-genre I would define as "intertwined". 5 different stories leading to and deriving from each other: Two friends on trying to get home, a girl band trying to get to their next gig, a man trying to go home to his loving wife, a brother trying to rescue his sister, and a family on vacation before their daughter goes to college. Sufficing to say nothing ends well.

The common ground for the tales is the actual ground, as they all seem to be taking place at the same location, referred to as "the middle of nowhere" and giving a strong sensation of Hell itself. Also, all the characters seem to be tuned in to the same radio station, where the DJ hints of his awareness to their sins and struggles. In each story, the protagonists (if you can call them that) have secrets in an escalating level of severity, and I guess the moral is that Karma always catches up to you.

Seeing as how each story is around 17 minutes in average, it's quite challenging for me to rate the film as a whole. The screen writing is by far the best feature, as the stories leave you confused, wondering, desperate and lost. Some fine shooting and cinematography as well, especially during the beginning of The Accident part (great work from directors and screenwriters Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin). The acting is also good, but the each of the cast is given little screen time, so it's hard to say anything more. I will say that all the cast is largely unknown, and still showed a lot of promise.

All in all, Southbound would appeal to fans of more "artistic" Horror films. It's unusual and quite unique, leaving the audience with an uneasy sense of bewilderment. While not my preferable sub- genre, I was very impressed with it and enjoyed it to the last second.

Mitch and Jack are covered with blood. They are desperately driving on a desert highway being stalked by mysterious floating figures. The world is a surreal inescapeable road to nowhere. Other people also find themselves trapped in this place.

The stories are interconnected. I love the idea of this place. I like the girl friends section. I especially like the hospital section. The movie could fill in a few holes and clarify a few story issues. Overall, I really like the general premise. The connectivity between stories allows for more rooting interest. It would be very interesting to sharpen the writing with this one.