‘The Latent Image’ Review: A Thrilling Exploration of Hidden Desires
The Latent Image begins in a cabin in the woods as Ben (Joshua Tonks) types on a manual typewriter. He’s trying to finish a thriller novel, but he’s not getting where he wants to go. The book needs something else, but he can’t figure out exactly what. He’s also frustrated because he had a fight with his boyfriend Jamie (William Tippery) a few days before about Ben’s refusal to come out of the closet.
Suddenly there’s a sound. A kind of pop. Who or what could it be? Well, after wandering around the cabin for a while, he can’t figure out what caused the noise, but there is a mysterious drifter (Jay Clift) in the house, his knuckles bloody, asking for help. The drifter inspires in Ben a sense of sexual attraction, mystery, danger, and repulsion all at once. Yes, Ben knows the guy is no good, but he wants to keep him around the cabin as long as possible. He wants to probe the depths of the man’s darkness and find out what makes him tick. Yes, he knows it’s dangerous, but Ben wants to see where things go and how far things can be pushed before actual violence happens. But hee might come to regret this decision.
At its core, The Latent Image is a story of two people psychologically dancing around each other, and with the audience as well. Ben’s obsession with the drifter makes you wonder if, and to what extent, our protagonist might be a predator himself. He goes through the guy’s stuff, wears his clothes, and follows him, filming him without his knowledge.
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As for the drifter, he’s not gay, but he’s definitely aware of the effect he has on Ben. We also get the impression that he’s had this effect on other unfortunate people before. But he plays it straight, so to speak, with occasional stray statements and outbursts to remind Ben that, although he doesn’t mind playing games, he’s not interested in, and doesn’t even like, gay people. How much this is true and how much of it is an act is up to the audience to decide.
A psychological tête-à-tête in the middle of the film ramps up the tension. Both of our main characters know that the other knows but they don’t know how much the other knows. It’s one of those things where nobody is completely fooling anyone, but everyone still refuses to drop the facade. But in this confrontation, through a game that is ostensibly about the drifter helping Ben figure out his fictional killer’s motives, each of them tries to make the other reveal themselves, while trying to conceal as much of themselves as possible.
It’s a chilling scene, one that ends up with Ben tied to a chair and the drifter demonstrating how he would cut a victim up with a knife. He puts the knife on Ben’s skin. But will it penetrate? This is the question that’s at the heart of the film, literally in this case, but in a psychological sense throughout.
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Director Alexander McGregor Birrell is absolutely brilliant in making us wonder about the drifter’s motives. We know the drifter is no good from the beginning, or at least that something isn’t quite right. But is he a killer? Is the whole tough guy thing just an act? Is he actually flirting with Ben, or is it completely an act? Ben’s being in the closet is an important theme that extends to the drifter. What is his true motivation for being there? And why is he hiding it?
With such emphasis on the psychological, great acting is a must if we’re going to believe in this world. At times the acting here is downright chilling. Through Clift’s intense performance as the drifter, it’s easy to see why Ben is so attracted to the guy. He’s animalistic, intense, but oddly sympathetic. A very human monster. All this is there in the script, but it’s brought to life in such an astoundingly concrete way that you can’t imagine anyone else playing the part. And Tonks, as Ben, is able to convey fear, repulsion, and attraction with equal intensity. He always reacts believably to each maddening situation. Tippery, although a supporting character, gives everything to his performance. The chemistry among these three men is top-notch, which is what’s needed in such a character-heavy piece.
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The Latent Image is a meta-commentary on storytelling. The story on screen has been predicted by the story that Ben has already written, and is yet to write over the course of the movie. He’s living the story he’s written for himself. It’s interesting to note what elements only exist in Ben’s imagination, ultimately the only place he’s truly able to express himself. It’s not quite a story where you’re left wondering what really happened, and what was imagined. That line is actually very clear, though there are some fake-outs here and there. They’re clever, for the most part, but there was a sequence near the end that nearly lost me on the whole thing when it seemed like the story was going to be a dream. Luckily, the movie pulled back from that just in time.
The film is a lean 82 minutes, with no fat on the story. All meat and potatoes. The runtime isn’t stretched and the story is told as economically as possible. What results is a film that is riveting the entire time. The Latent Image is big on psychology and atmosphere. Fans of psychological thrillers won’t want to miss this one.
The DVD, out now 12th from Cinephobia Releasing, also includes the short film version with optional commentary, a commentary track for the feature, and trailers for other Cinephobia movies.
Summary
The Latent Image is a must-see psychological thriller about those things we keep in the closet.
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