Coco (2017)

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Starring Natalia Kaverznikova, Bea Jugo C, Neil Boultby

Directed by Neil Boultby


Yet again, the subject of childhood tragedy is on the slab as we focus in on director Neil Boultby’s slow-churning thriller, Coco – and while the tempo of this one could be the determining factor in shying people away, this was surprisingly well-constructed and offers up some moderately-sized chills.

Our central focus here is Coco herself (Kaverznikova), and her latter years of life have been the direct result of some rather nasty trauma when she was younger, and her only chance to get over the bad memories is to face them head on…but what if those memories were simply lying in wait, and ready to manifest themselves into a physical force, ready to inflict even more damage? Now to me, I think the need to check into a 5-star resort would be the best remedy, but who am I – nobody, last time I checked. Anyhow, the malevolent essence is one that literally hangs from Coco’s being through the entire film – you might not necessarily see it, but believe me, it’s there and it casts quite the gloomy shadow over the entire movie, and not in a negative fashion.

Boultby (who also stars as Richard), uses a wealth of insanely long camera stalls in order to not only convey his story, but to drive it into your skull like a railroad spike being smashed with a sledgehammer into soft flesh – get the point? You’ll get twisted, and you’ll get turned, but most of all, you’ll be entertained at what he’s providing: a classy, deliberately grinding spooky thriller – no apologies here, that’s for sure. An added touch to the presentation is the scenery itself, with the majority of panoramic vistas from Spain on display, and it complements the film’s openness to the feeling of something evil closing in on you. Kaverznikova is satisfying in the lead role, and while there are times when you want her to break out of her solemn shackles, you begin to understand why she’s been formed this way over time, and it works to an efficient level for the story. So, if you happen to be a fan of these kinds of gradually traveling chillers, then I could definitely recommend this film to you, and also offer up a sincere bit of gratitude to Mr. Boultby for providing this screener to be checked out -the future looks bright for you, sir.

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