Unseen, The (2016)
Starring Aden Young, Camille Sullivan, Julia Sarah Stone, Ben Cotton
Directed by Geoff Rednap
Writer-director Geoff Rednap has a unique way of looking at things. I’ll never forget his short film, The Auburn Hills Breakdown, which I saw at a horror film festival years ago. It’s a witty comedy that puts a twist on the age-old story of a hapless family whose car breaks down on a lonely highway. Forced to take refuge with a horrifyingly hospitable yuppie couple are three fright-flick stereotypes: Ma (the mad matriarch), Junior (the crazy cannibal kid), and Feral Girl (self-explanatory). We witness their terror as the erstwhile villains find themselves stuck in a bright, airy Martha Stewart model home, made to eat gourmet cupcakes instead of human flesh in the obligatory dinner table scene.
Rednap’s feature-length debut is not a comedy, but the artists’ need to present his stories from a slightly skewed perspective continues to intrigue and provoke the viewer. In the case of The Unseen we are treated to an updated, unofficial version of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. Bob Langmore (Aden Young, “Rectify”) is an alcoholic trailer-dwelling mill worker, struggling to make ends meet in a dreary, dying town. He keeps his distance from his disapproving ex-wife turned lesbian, Darlene (Camille Sullivan, “The Man in the High Castle) and his brooding teenage daughter, Eva (Julia Sarah Stone, “The Killing”), but circumstances bring the trio back together in spite of themselves.
Bob keeps to himself partially because he’s a longtime loner haunted by his troubled past, but partially because he is, well, partial. His body is disappearing bit by bit. The disturbing result is more organic and zombie-like than airy sci-fi. The effects are gruesome… As his body vanishes in chunks and slabs, we see flesh and bone exposed. Like the Claude Rains character in The Invisible Man, Bob binds himself in bandages in an effort to hide the awful truth.
Although Rednap’s background is in makeup and special effects (he’s worked on everything from Deadpool to “Masters of Horror”) the drama burbling beneath the surface of the man himself takes center stage. The Unseen is a moral family drama driven with only slight undertones of horror and science fiction.
As a gritty drama The Unseen succeeds. Its somber imagery conjures up the characters’ feelings of hopelessness, the acting is fittingly dour, while the plot is layered with nuance and backstory. But as a genre film it lacks sufficient suspense and dread. The story moves with a glacial slowness and there are subplots that feel muddled and dulled. Personally, I think the movie would have been a lot more entertaining with about 15 or 20 minutes made to, er, disappear. Regardless, I recommend The Unseen for its innovation and excellent talent above and below the line.
If you enjoy metaphorical stories about the human condition, The Unseen is a film you will want to see as it makes the rounds this Fall festival season.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
