When you read a quick preview of a film and go in blind, you never really know what you are going to get. Sometimes you will get a major fail and at other times you will find an odd and interesting little film like this one. This is now the second Mexican film that has pleasantly surprised me, not so much with its quality, but its rather bizarre and strange story.
Honeymoon is the story of two people, one more crazy and disturbed than the other. We open to see the lives of two separate people one morning, Jorge (Kotsifakis) in his suit getting ready for work and Isabel (Ahmed) who is going out jogging. Only it seems Jorge is timing his daily routine (which includes taking out the rubbish) in order to be able to see Isabel run past him.
Jorge then sees her again at the local store and listens into her conversation with friends and the counter assistant. Sometime later we see Jorge at what appears to be a hardware store and he is still following her. Jogging behind her Jorge stops when he sees Isabel jump into the arms of her husband Pablo (Agnesi) who glances over at him as they enter their building opposite his. Then Jorge gets a delivery, a shock collar.
I'm not going to go any further but you can probably guess in which direction this little title is going. While I would say this is not your typical abduction/torture film, there are plenty of cliches and tired old stuff in here that has all been seen before, along with plenty of imaginative things that have not. The plot itself is pretty basic but well done nonetheless, given the budget they were probably working with.
The script is reasonably good, although they could do with some polishing, but they work well enough for the most part. There are also a couple of scenes to make you laugh and I think these are intentional by the director to try and lighten the mood given the subject matter. On that note, for most of the film I was surprised this was given a certificate by the BBFC, given they usually view films of this nature (torture against females for no reason) very dimly unless it is warranted for the plot.
The acting is also surprisingly good, especially from Kotsifakis. He pretty much carries the entire film and excels in his role. Jorge is disciplined, studious and methodical and has the half creepy smile almost permanently on his face. In fact, Jorge is beyond creepy, on a scale of one to a hundred, he easily scores around one hundred and fifty. Pauline Ahmed also does well in her limited role and both of them deserve credit for their parts, given the majority of the film is set in one location.
The soundtrack is also quite different for this type of feature, quirky at times and quite sinister when it needs to be. Not your usual horror film soundtrack but one that works within the context of the scenes. An interesting ending if not rather absurd makes for an altogether enjoyable experience if you are looking for something a little different. Just keep your fingers hidden.
The Sage's Rating: 6/10
Honeymoon is the story of two people, one more crazy and disturbed than the other. We open to see the lives of two separate people one morning, Jorge (Kotsifakis) in his suit getting ready for work and Isabel (Ahmed) who is going out jogging. Only it seems Jorge is timing his daily routine (which includes taking out the rubbish) in order to be able to see Isabel run past him.
Jorge then sees her again at the local store and listens into her conversation with friends and the counter assistant. Sometime later we see Jorge at what appears to be a hardware store and he is still following her. Jogging behind her Jorge stops when he sees Isabel jump into the arms of her husband Pablo (Agnesi) who glances over at him as they enter their building opposite his. Then Jorge gets a delivery, a shock collar.
I'm not going to go any further but you can probably guess in which direction this little title is going. While I would say this is not your typical abduction/torture film, there are plenty of cliches and tired old stuff in here that has all been seen before, along with plenty of imaginative things that have not. The plot itself is pretty basic but well done nonetheless, given the budget they were probably working with.
The script is reasonably good, although they could do with some polishing, but they work well enough for the most part. There are also a couple of scenes to make you laugh and I think these are intentional by the director to try and lighten the mood given the subject matter. On that note, for most of the film I was surprised this was given a certificate by the BBFC, given they usually view films of this nature (torture against females for no reason) very dimly unless it is warranted for the plot.
The acting is also surprisingly good, especially from Kotsifakis. He pretty much carries the entire film and excels in his role. Jorge is disciplined, studious and methodical and has the half creepy smile almost permanently on his face. In fact, Jorge is beyond creepy, on a scale of one to a hundred, he easily scores around one hundred and fifty. Pauline Ahmed also does well in her limited role and both of them deserve credit for their parts, given the majority of the film is set in one location.
The soundtrack is also quite different for this type of feature, quirky at times and quite sinister when it needs to be. Not your usual horror film soundtrack but one that works within the context of the scenes. An interesting ending if not rather absurd makes for an altogether enjoyable experience if you are looking for something a little different. Just keep your fingers hidden.
The Sage's Rating: 6/10