Seeds

Last week I watched this film and man was I really surprised. I'll just start off by saying, this film was totally different than I thought it was going to be, and I mean that in a good way. The film centers on two main characters, Marcus and Lily. There are only a few important supporting characters, but for some reason when you're watching the film, it feels like there's more. I loved the look and feel of the film and the acting is top notch. Without giving anything away, I'd say that I was pulled into the film early on and it never let my attention wander as the tension builds and builds. I'd suggest going to the bathroom before this one starts because you won't be able to look away or get up during the film.

If you want to enjoy a odd quirky film that feels like a small Hollywood studio film, then I'd suggest giving SEEDS a try. I think you'll be glad you did. I know I was.

Seeds is many things, a horror thriller, a dark fairy tale, a tragic cerebral journey of obsession. The film doesn't take it easy on the audiences, it is deliberate, complex and confrontational. Owen Long's directing choices of composition, pacing and tone are bold and confident.

TheSTORY-0.75

The premise for this tale of depravity is quite solid and offers up a lot of opportunities. Unfortunately, all of them were squandered... that's if they were ever realised at all. And that is the main drawback.

However, it's unclear as to where the seeds in the title come from. It would appear that the main player in this story, Marcus Milton, is infected by a parasite. One that his daughter found in a conch shell. Here is another little vagueness - is it the creature that affects Marcus or is Marcus broken. This isn't the only ambiguity that hinders the project. There is too many to list. With everything being left unanswered it makes everything inconsequential and irrelevant. You cannot relate to it so you don't invest yourself in the story.

And this isn't the only weak thing about the story. The characters are paper-thin and two-dimensional, and this helps to hinder and weaken the tale.

theDIRECTION-0.75

Owen Long, who also penned this travesty is a much better director than he is a writer. There are some very nice pans and sweeps. These are mostly around Marcus walking through the garden or his daughter running through it after finding the conch shell. The rest is quite average and basic. The bad thing is it doesn't add anything to the story it just fundamentally tells the story in pictures.

A little bit of imagination and inventiveness in a few of the darker scenes would have helped a lot. Even in the more ordinary scenes, a different camera angle here or a change in lighting there could have worked wonders.

I have to admit though that the scenes where the parasite becomes visible are the best parts of the film - shot wise. I especially liked the parasite hug scenario, though it wasn't as creepy as it should have been, and the slight reveal in the cellar tableau.

theTEMPO-0.5

As with the story, this is lacklustre and lethargic. I believe Long may have found a cure for insomnia. When the story is mixed with this torpid telling pace you have to fight to stay away. It would have helped some if I actually cared about the story or the characters. If you are going to use a more languid speed to tell a tale that tale and its participants need to be interesting.

theACTING-1.25

This was the biggest surprise of the whole film. The acting varies between okay to good. At least Trevor Long, who portrays Marcus, is a better actor than his kin is a writer or director. Trevor even has screen presence and this lifts the film a little. But this slight rise is deflated when Lily, Andrea Chen, shares screen time with him. Marcus and Lily are the forbidden lovers... but there is absolutely no chemistry between the two. A truly horrendous thing when this is supposed to be a twisted love story.

theGRATIFICATION-0.75

Apart from the couple of scenes I mentioned above, there is very little to like in this slow and boring film. The story needed to be crisper. Some of the mysteries needed to be answered, even if only in a vague fashion. The characters needed to be more believable and meatier. The direction needed more oomph and punch. And the pace needed to be varied.

theSCORE-4

I would not recommend this film to anyone. It's not a horror story, there may be a monster but there's no horror - there's no tangible emotion whatsoever. I'd be hard pushed to call it a fantasy, a drama, or a sci-fi. There is so little of anything it's hard to categorise.

Stay away from this one.

Come and check my lists-come-charts, in this case, Absolute Horror, to see where this film ranks... or to find something better to view.

Well I'm not exactly sure how to describe Seeds. Definitely not your typical horror. Don't know if I would even place this film in that genre. It's more of a psychological horror or some sort of cautionary tale - an unraveling of the mind. It tells of dark desires which manifests into some sort of metaphysical creature that seems to hold the two main characters accountable for their illicit longing for one another. The film walks a fine line that made me question morality and how complicated human desire can be. Seeds isn't a film that most will enjoy watching. Given the subject matter, it's uncomfortable to sit through, and the pace is slow. I'm fine with this. Feel it's deliberate slowness is what the film needed to tell this story as it did. Beautifully shot, there's almost a painterly quality about the film. The haunting score and the sound design are on cue for setting a discomfiting mood for this story of forbidden love to unravel painfully and poetically. Part of me questions if anything inappropriate actually occurred - whether any of it was real other than the longing that drove the insanity bus for the lead's (Trevor Long) ultimate demise. By the way Trevor Long is in Ozark as Cade Langmore - you will not believe this is the same dude - what a departure from that redneck lowlife character. Andrea Chen, who plays Lily, also did a fine job wielding her coming of age powers. Their dark dance had me squirming in my seat to the bitter end. And my guess is this is entirely what the director, Owen Long, intended. Bold bit of filmmaking going on here. Impressive for a first time director. Don't know how some more seasoned directors would tackle such difficult subject matter, but as far as this avid indie film buff is concerned, this was handled remarkably well - my screws were tightened real tight! By the end I was filled with pity and sympathy, and longing for a shower and a stiff cocktail.

"Seeds" isn't unique in its style or concept when telling stories like this, surreal melodrama and psychological horror meant to serve as a metaphor for something else. It is creative, and even with such dark, uncomfortable material, the film is often poetic. Right off, I got impressions of classic horror dramas like "Suspiria" and "Possession". Two films that hardly made sense at times, flowed in a dreamscape of confusion and melanchalia, but managed to be captivating and hypnotic.

"Seeds" is filmed beautifully, the characters hang between detached mimics and relatable, tragic beings. I have to admit though that a lot of the film is muddled in aimless grandeur, and it took far too long for a clear story line to emerge. There is also a very real moment when you understand the metaphorical significance, it all becomes predictable, and I wished for the confusion and mesmer to return.

The horror rests mostly on the psychological elements, more so than the monster aspect. The conflict between ones own morality and propensity for depravity is universal and always relavent. The creature, set aside it's own existence within the film, is menacing when on screen . Strikingly so! Still what I personally wanted was a representation a bit more Lovecraftian, than what I got.

Overall I left the film being a little split on my feelings. There is so much in this film that is told disturbing, beautiful. The acting is superb, and the creativity can't be denied. But I also wanted a bit more actualized, traditional horror. Still "Seeds" is film worth checking out, and a project worthy of recognition.