Raw (2016) As a thematic effort, it didn't quite connect with me, though the filmmaking is interesting enough to muddle through anyway.
I was so happy to read that because the motivations that bring the characters from the start to the finish were really unclear to me. Yesterday, I saw mother!, where the characters leave reality behind and take on metaphorical meaning. I tried to apply that here, but what then is Raw really about? Coming of age? Sisters? The treatment of animals? Those scenes at the veterinary college are filmed with fascinating clinical detail, but what does that to do with the lead's cannibalism?
I asked Bondo about comparing this to
In My Skin where a woman becomes fascinated by self-mutilation. That's not an easy idea to put across either, but the film does it, gathering the audience in close while the lead takes the knife to her own flesh. The lead here - and she shows a lot of potential - has an increased desire for meat, a kind of hunger for flesh, and none of it feels natural. Without an understanding of the character the film is just about the button-pushing gross out moments.
Rating: * * - Disturbing
Lights Out (2016) Sometimes all a good horror movie needs is a single idea. This one has that idea - a villain that can only exist in total darkness - but needed a whole lot more to sustain it. The evolving backstory on the creature and it's connection to this one family is teased out, when in reality the mother would've warned her family and taken action long ago. As for the parade of scares, the limited character can only surprise you in one way. The rest is just the sound mixers cranking up the volume at the right time.
Rating: * * - Slightly Scary
Prevenge (2016)
Mark Kermode got me curious about the mystery of what would drive a pregnant woman to kill, believing it's because her unborn child is somehow guiding her hand. The actual film is ragged as hell, built out of numerous endless scenes that aim for Mike Leigh or Andrea Arnold but drift around never really coming to life. I also got the feeling from some of the staging that this is also playing the horror for laughs. I can't be sure, the film is unformed clay, not a solid sculpture.
Rating: * ½ - Slightly Bloody