October 3
I've often found that supernatural possession films tend to take after The Exorcist in a disappointingly narrow way; namely, the only part they seem concerned with is getting to the special effects extravaganza aspects as quickly as possible, character development be damned. As the thrashing, makeup and furniture destruction get more elaborate, the less interesting those films wind up being, which does a great disservice to the fascinating concepts behind possession. There are ideas seldom more terrifying than what would happen if your body was no longer that of your mind, and the best ones mine that for maximum effect. If for nothing else, and thankfully that isn't the case, this is some that
Raat understands quite well.
Certainly more slower paced than a lot of similar films,
Raat takes a lot of time in getting us to know the central characters long before any demonic presence becomes more corporeal. Not that there isn't something more sinister going on right away, as the nightmares of our main character open the film and continue for a scene or two to illustrate the kind of scares that the film is going for, but we spend a lot of time with the central family as they're coming to grips with the new home that they've moved into. Without needing to elaborate that much on it, there's even an interesting bit of divide in the family itself, as the youngest is actually the grandson of the heads of the family, who now lives with them and his aunt after his own parents died, and while they love each other, it does lend a nicely uneasy feeling that their lives aren't quite what they expected it to be and in a kind of constant turmoil. That certainly is true for our heroine.
Minnie seems caught between the passion of young adulthood and the responsibility she has to her family, trying her best to balance both while nightmares become more frequent and soon point more into the direction of grim premonition of events to come. I really did like these sequences quite a lot, as they not only feed into Minnie's greatest fear (being all alone in the world), but they're executed in simple yet effective ways, without any real special effects to speak of and wisely using open spaces to highlight the isolation. It's effective even for me as a westerner, but I can only imagine how killer this would have been for its native audience, with how dense the population of the country can be. Sometimes, one really needs is a universal fear and smart, prowling camerawork to be able to get genuine scares. And as Minnie, Revathy makes for a very sympathetic heroine that remains likable and engaging throughout, not in the least of which with her striking facial features that she's able to use to superb effect before and after her possession.
Once the possession does happen, and in broad daylight, no less (another strong element to the film that so much of it is staged during daytime hours and still gets the scares it's going for), the film takes on a far more sinister turn, as the possessed Minnie starts acting truly unlike herself, and from there, you can imagine the kind of structure that it goes through, with more scientific treatments having to give way to something more religious in nature in order to cure her condition. Along the way, we're treated to some surprisingly effective moments that while not heavy on the bloodshed, imply a whole lot of truly horrific events that can be inferred, particularly one character's death that happens largely out of the frame, but is pieced together through simple exposition and one very chilling visual metaphor that brings it all home. I do expect that some people might find this film to take too long to get to the "goods," such as they are, but this is the kind of film I love in the sense that it takes the time to lay its intentions out and expects you to meet it halfway. It's the kind of film that focuses mainly on good sound design, effective framing and strong acting to be able to sell the horror of the situation as it develops.
Ironically, the weakest element of the film is the exorcism itself, as it does finally give into the demands of the genre as it turns into more of a special effects-driven film, if ever so briefly, that threatens to undercut the strong character work and understated style that the film is so much better with. And the ending feels a little too pat for my liking, seemingly forgiving the crimes that have unfortunately been made in the wake of Minnie's possession that while I don't think needed something harsh, still needed to be answered for in some way. But as it is, the film works and works well very often, and the kind of mood and storytelling it goes for is the kind I find very appealing and desirable for the genre, which makes it all the more unfortunate that it doesn't happen as often as it should. Everyone else can have their overly violent bed slamming and burned effigies: give me a pair of colored contacts, a good close-up and a deeply unnerving smile any day.
Film for Oct 4: We've seen films both good and bad in the marathon already, but what about
The Ugly? Unforgivable pun aside, this New Zealand shocker came highly, highly, highly recommended by my coworker, and I always like a good serious serial killer film. Time to see what all the fuss is about!
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