The Secret of Sinchanee

I thought that the filmmaker did a really good job handling all of the difficult themes and tropes of childhood trauma and the stereotypes that have affected indigenous people. A friend in my community told me about this film, and I am really glad I saw it and proud to see us being represented in this way.

First off - I'm never going to New England. Between the Salem Witches and everything Stephen King writes - hell naw! This was a thoughtful film, more like a character study I would say. It has horror and paranormal elements, though I would say it is a thriller. We were able to watch it with our kids.

I saw this film on the silver screen at the Raindance Film Festival last year in the UK and was chuffed to find it online to rent this holiday season (it has proper Christmas themes so it works great for those holiday thrills). This film had won several awards before it arrived at Raindance on the festival circuit, so there was a lot of anticipation for it to come to the Genesis Theater in London. Attending the Q&A after the screening also provided a lot of insight into filmmaker Steven Grayhm's challenging, yet rewarding process of bringing this film to the screen. To be fair, this special little (big) film is nothing short of ambitious. Scary at times and thoughtful at others - but at its very best - this film is original! As most have stated, the third act tends to tie up nicely - giving the audience a satisfying ending - and an unexpected horror fan shoutout in the form of a CODA at the end credits. The cinematography is gorgeous, with many unique camera angles and shots. The musical score is beautiful, and at one point at the UK screening, it made some of us in the audience incredibly emotional. A second watch at home and it was just as intense. The score at times sounds like something from the late, great Jóhann Jóhannsson. This is simply a brilliant little independent film that I would recommend to most anyone looking for something unique and different.

Moody indie film that simmers all the way through to the end. I loved the overall "lived-in" feeling of the film. The tow shop that the main character works at was one of my favorite settings. Also, the casting and the performances from the actors all played very real and they all looked like they fit their respective roles. I also thought it was interesting how the main protagonist at the tow shop becomes the antagonist halfway through the film - and the female detective pursuing him becomes the protagonist. That's an effective switch in the writing that I thought worked well and gave the audience a bit of reprieve from the intensity as well as the slow build to the end. I saw that this film premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in the UK in the "Screamdance" section and went on to win Best Writer, Best Film Score, and was Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Feature Film Fiction at various international film festivals. I think that was well deserved given the solid filmmaking here.

This has a riveting story with true scares. Two factions of witches are feuding through the ages. One side is happy to use deadly force. A 30 year-old murder of a boy's mother and daughter has tainted the family home it took place in rendering it unsalable, and haunted. This is a movie with marvelous acting, directing and also the mood and look of the thing. Much is communicated without words.