Evidence (2011)
Starring Ryan McCoy, Brett Rosenberg, Abigail Richie, Ashley Bracken
Directed by Howie Askins
Ever since the success of Paranormal Activity, which we discovered before anyone had any clue what it was, the Dread Central offices have been inundated with cinéma-vérité style films. Truth be told, 90% of them suck. But every so often somebody gets it right. This is one of those scenarios.
First off the story is very familiar. A group of friends head out into the woods to make a documentary. When watching the movie, it’s nearly impossible at first to refrain from saying to yourself, “Great, another one of these flicks.” Brothers and sisters, believe me when I tell you that you have not seen anything like this. It’s so very hard to even review Evidence because the last thing we’d ever want to do is spoil the experience for you so let’s cover what we can talk about.
The set-up is just fine with likable characters who come across completely natural and believable. You know these people. You connect with them. In a movie like this that’s incredibly important. Yet, this is also where the film is at its most bumpy, slightly falling into the standard pitfalls a movie like this has a tendency to drop into. A bit more character development could have gone a long way in solving some nagging relationship questions. Don’t worry, though, things are never derailed for long.
In the second act of the film, strange things start going on. Well executed strange things. The kind of instances that will surely send a shudder down your spines. Then it happens. The worm turns. The third act. My god … the third act.
Where to begin?
We’ve all seen films that sport a twist ending. Usually once the big reveal comes, we’re brought to the conclusion. Not here. Not by a long shot. Things keep twisting and twisting and twisting without mercy. There’s not a single moment in the last thirty-five minutes of this movie that you’ll be able to peel your eyes away from the screen. Evidence is home to some of the most “Holy shit! What the fuck was that?!” filmmaking we have seen in some time. Think you’ve been there and done that? Think again. There’s no way that you could ever see any of the chaos unfolding before you coming. It’s nearly impossible.
One of the main complaints that people usually have with cinéma-vérité flicks is that you don’t really see anything or that nothing happens. You won’t have to worry about that here at all. The horrors of Evidence are thrown at you relentlessly, full throttle, full frontal, with absolutely no holds barred until the very last frame of the incredible end credits sequence.
Evidence is a movie that you’ll be talking and thinking about long after the credits roll. The ending is guaranteed to polarize the audience, and there will undoubtedly be a certain contingent of viewers who won’t know what to make of it. To us that’s just part of this harrowing experience’s charm. Forget everything you think that you know and have seen. None of it is applicable here. Take the ride. Let your mind be blown. Just try and catch your breath. Evidence delivers the unexpected like few films do.
3 1/2 out of 5
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Categorized:Reviews
