A Sundance Film Festival Recap Part 2

Tsis txhob tsaug zog ntawm ib tag hmo Seem ntawm Famed Festival

Aw, Midnight movies. Qhov ntawd gonzo feem ntawm zaj duab xis Success programming qhov twg curators ntawm lub fest tuaj yeem cia lawv cov chij freak ya. Nws tseem tuaj yeem yog qhov nyuaj tshaj plaws ntawm kev ua yeeb yaj kiab ua yeeb yaj kiab rau cov neeg thuam los txiav txim. Nws yog koj zaj yeeb yaj kiab thib tsib lossis thib rau ntawm hnub. Koj tau noj koj cov pluas noj tawm ntawm lub tshuab muag khoom, thiab qhov xwm txheej hnyav ntawm "Festival Brain" tau teeb tsa.

Lub martial arts ua-comedy Lub Koom Txoos Kav Tos Liv rocked lub Sundance Ib tag hmo ntu thiab tawm qhov tseeb yeej ntawm cov neeg tsaus ntuj hmo ntuj, tab sis nws nyob deb ntawm qhov tsuas yog Midnight movie tsim nyog xyuas. Nov yog ob peb zaj yeeb yaj kiab nrog cov vibes txaus ntshai kom nyob ntawm koj lub radar thaum lawv nthuav tawm tom qab xyoo no:

Tham Nrog Kuv: Zaj yeeb yaj kiab no zoo kawg nkaus rau cov tub ntxhais hluas ntshai heev los ntawm Australia nyob rau ntawm pab pawg ntawm cov menyuam kawm ntawv theem siab uas muaj lub ntsej muag ntawm txhais tes ntawm qhov nruab nrab tuag. Thaum koj tuav nws thiab hais tias "Hais rau kuv", cov dab tuag yuav tshwm sim rau koj. Yog tias koj ua siab tawv (los yog ruam) txaus, koj tuaj yeem ua ib kauj ruam ntxiv thiab cia tus ntsuj plig nkag mus rau hauv koj lub cev. Qhov "muaj" kav ntev mus txog thaum koj tso tawm ntawm tes embalmed.

Nws yog ib qho kev hloov kho tshiab ntawm cov qub "cov menyuam yaus ua si nrog Ouija board" cov yeeb yaj kiab, tab sis nws yog qhov hloov tshiab ntawm hom ntawv uas ua rau nws ua haujlwm tau zoo. Raws li cov menyuam yaus lom zem ntawm conjuring cov neeg tuag, lawv tab tom tua TikTok thiab YouTube yeeb yaj duab, sau "nyiam" thiab dhau los ua social media mini-hnub qub. Cov neeg saib xyuas txhua tus xav tias tus neeg koom nrog hammering nws rau lub koob yees duab, tab sis cov neeg tuaj saib pom pom tias cov talisman ua haujlwm, thiab peb tau pom cov dab txaus ntshai uas cov menyuam yaus tsis quav ntsej nrog.

Tau kawg, muaj cov cai yuav tsum ua raws li. Tsis txhob cia tus ntsuj plig muaj tus neeg koom nrog ntau tshaj cuaj caum vib nas this los yog daim ntawv cog lus yuav nyuaj rau kev tawg. Yog li, koj paub dab tsi los tom ntej. Tab sis qhov ntawd zoo. Tham Nrog Kuv xa nws feem ntawm dhia scares thiab creepy cua. Cov thawj coj (Danny thiab Michael Philippou) yog cov neeg tsim khoom nrov ntawm YouTube yeeb yaj kiab nrog ntau dua 1.5 billion views rau lawv txoj haujlwm. Yog li lawv paub cov kab lis kev cai hauv online uas lawv tau teeb tsa lawv cov yeeb yaj kiab, thiab nws muab Tham Nrog Kuv lub siab muaj zog ntawm realism kom sib npaug cov supernatural mus.

Cov yeeb yaj kiab foob pob hluav taws nyob rau ntawm 95 feeb, zam kev rov ua dua thiab lulls uas feem ntau ua rau muaj kev ntxhov siab uas tso siab rau ntev dhau ntawm qhov chaw ntse. Zaj movie no tsis tau pom dua li os. Cov dab tuag li cas los? Tham Nrog Kuv yog lub zoo meej embodiment (los yog tej zaum disembodiment) ntawm dab tsi txaus ntshai kiv cua xav tau los ntawm ib tag hmo movie.

Khiav Luav: Rau txhua me ntsis uas ntshai heev nyob rau hauv Tham Nrog Kuv yog "external", Khiav Luav yog tsav los ntawm sab hauv, fueling nws npau suav phem tsis pom kev nrog dread thiab ntxhov siab vim. Cov yeeb yaj kiab tau kos cov kev sib piv rau Lub Babadook, tab sis qhov tseeb nws yog yav qab teb Gothic los ntawm Southern Australia thiab tsis yog "tus tsiaj nkaum hauv koj lub txee dai khaub ncaws" zaj duab xis. Lub tsuas dab nyob rau hauv Khiav Luav yog lub looming specter ntawm kev puas hlwb.

Sarah Snook (los ntawm HBO's Kev vam meej) plays Sarah, tus kws kho mob fertility uas nws tus ntxhais, Mia, tab tom qhia tus cwj pwm txawv. Muaj ib hnub Mia tshaj tawm tias nws tsis yog Mia, nws yog Alice, thiab cov xim ntws los ntawm Sarah lub ntsej muag. Leej twg yog Alice? Mia paub txog nws li cas? Muaj tseeb tiag, Alice tsis yog qee yam muaj Mia? Cov yeeb yaj kiab nthuav tawm tam sim no thiab hauv kev rov qab los ntawm Sarah thaum yau uas peb kawm Alice yog leej twg thiab dab tsi tshwm sim rau nws thaum Sarah tseem yog menyuam yaus. Raws li nrog tag nrho cov zoo yav qab teb Gothics, Khiav Luav inexorably ua rau Sarah lub tsev menyuam yaus tso tseg thiab cov lus zais uas nyob hauv nws cov phab ntsa tawg.

Khiav Luav yog qhov ua yeeb yam qhia thawj zaug rau Daina Reid, tus qub tub rog tom qab lub koob yees duab hauv ntiaj teb ntawm TV (Ci ntsa Rau Hluas Nkauj, Lub Handmaid Taleum). Nws txawj doles tawm cov lus piav qhia kom nyem qhov nruj tshaj plaws ntawm nws qhov chaw. Zaj dab neeg hais txog lub ntsiab lus tseem ceeb rau cov yeeb yaj kiab txaus ntshai: Puas yog qhov xwm txheej no yog qhov tshwm sim ntawm kev puas siab puas ntsws lossis ib yam dab tsi supernatural?

Hauv qab nws nto, Khiav Luav kuj tshuaj xyuas qhov xwm ntawm niam txiv. Nws tsis yog coincidence uas Sarah yog ib tug kws kho mob fertility. Nws pab cov neeg uas xav tsis muaj dab tsi ntau dua li kom muaj menyuam thaum nws tuav nrog tus hluas nkauj txawv txawv uas nws tus ntxhais tab tom dhau los. Cov niam txiv feem ntau txhawj xeeb txog kev noj qab haus huv thiab kev nyab xeeb ntawm lawv cov menyuam. Khiav Luav nug tias koj ntshai koj tus menyuam li cas? Cov yeeb yaj kiab tswj kom txias thiab lom zem. Qhov kawg scene nrog koj ntev tom qab cov qhab nia yob.

Birth/Rebirth: Zaj yeeb yaj kiab no (uas yog mus rau Shudder streaming kev pabcuam tom qab xyoo no) yog qhov hloov pauv tshiab ntawm Frankenstein dab neeg. Cov lus dab neeg classic muaj ib tus kws tshawb fawb npau suav tsim "tus neeg" los ntawm kev rov ua dua tshiab ntawm cov neeg tuag. Needless hais, qhov tshwm sim yog tsawg tus neeg thiab ntau dab.

Cov kiv cua niaj hnub no ntawm lub npe nrov trope nyiam: Koj yuav mus deb npaum li cas los cawm tus neeg koj hlub? Los yog qhov tseeb dua, koj puas yuav lees txais tus neeg ntawd tsawg dua, lub hlwb lossis lub cev, yog tias nws txhais tau tias koj tsis tau hais lus zoo? Larry Fessenden zaj duab xis tsis ntev los no, Txiav Txim Siab (2019), yuav yog ib qho piv txwv tsis ntev los no.

In Birth/Rebirth, Celie yog tus nais maum maternity uas nws lub neej nyob ib ncig ntawm nws tus ntxhais muaj rau xyoo, Lila. Rose yog tus kws kho mob hauv tsev kho mob morgue uas nyiam kev kawm ntawm cov neeg tuag mus rau kev sib raug zoo nrog cov neeg nyob. Thaum Lila raug mob hnyav sai sai, Rose muab Celie "kev kho mob" nws tau ua tiav. Los ntawm kev qhia cov ntshav ua ntej yug menyuam thiab cov ntaub so ntswg rau hauv lub cev tuag hauv nws lub tsev kho mob, nws tuaj yeem rov ua cov neeg tuag. Kuv puas tau hais tias Celie yog ib tug nais maum?

Ob qhov kev ua yeeb yam ua yeeb yaj kiab ua yeeb yaj kiab uas tuaj yeem hloov mus rau qhov tsis txaus ntseeg. Judy Reyes (Carla los ntawm sitcom scrubs) tsim ib daim duab ntawm leej niam tawg los ntawm kev tu siab uas muab rau hauv kev ntxias kom pom nws tus menyuam "ib zaug kawg". Marin Ireland (uas kuj tshwm sim hauv 2023 Sundance zaj duab xis Eileen) ua si Rose ua ib tug neeg uas saib lub neej raws li kev sim kev tshawb fawb thiab kev kawm kev kawm. Nws tsis muaj kev txawj ntse ntawm kev xav uas ua rau nws qhov kev ua tsis zoo thiab kev kho mob ntau dua. Kev phooj ywg khib uas tsim ntawm ob tus poj niam yog qhov nplua nuj tshaj plaws hauv zaj duab xis.

Raws li nrog feem ntau Frankenstein riffs, Birth/Rebirth tshawb txog Monkey's Paw ntsiab lus: ceev faj yam koj xav tau. Ob tug poj niam pom lawv tus kheej mus rau ntau thiab ntau lub siab ntev los ua lawv txoj haujlwm (ghoulish?) Thaum kawg ntawm zaj duab xis, koj yuav xav tsis thoob tias leej twg yog tus dab tiag tiag hauv zaj dab neeg no. Thiab qhov ntawd yog lub ntsiab lus.