INTRO: Another where the English titling given is more or less pointless, if not deceptive:
Direct, literal rendition could rather be 'ENMITY':
or if too esoteric/dull, then, for this, think along lines, if not 'Never- ending Story', then here a never-ending hatred.
For a debut - (director Miska Kajanus, incidentally also playing late entry character, Joni) - plus with all the extra bits he took on (see his name recurring constantly in the credits) this should be praised .. Plus, being also scriptwriter, with what would seem like a number of quite intriguing mystery, spooky inferences set up .. but, oh dear, disappointingly, eventually turns out just to be a mish mash mess of apparently unfulfilled ideas as nothing is really plausibly, properly - acceptably - brought to any clear close*; so rather than an initially potential disconcerting, Lynchian like unsolved mystery, instead rather smacks of just either ran out of ideas, or even to just having bitten of more than chew to tie up the multiply introduced loose ends*
As initially set up with the now quite hackneyed 'found footage' trope, yet soon interspersed with seemingly fourth wall point of view(er audience) shots - (otherwise how does such POV enter whose found footage / footage taker frame?) - to tacking on an odd third party, 'actually, we're watching this unfold' mystery which then veers off onto a sub 'Don't Look Now'- like territory (well, at least, the red coats are there, and of one early introduced player also - presumably - drowned, too), but we're never hinted to a how and why** - so that finally much is just never really satisfactorily resolved. Director even casts himself into a rather neat homage 'stance' to 'Blair Witch' - which could (looked as though it would!) have soon set up - well, something more .. but, no, it just goes nowhere.
As for the 'additional' closing scenes shot whilst he (director, Kajanus) was elsewhere (and anyway, admitted, to pad a out the time to a feature rather than a short as first mooted): well, what on earth is going on, being set up?*
Nevertheless, perhaps still worth sitting through if only for Hanna Angelvou's (and with her braided hair - too long, so to be soon preferably shorn, apparently!) seemingly real life bewildered, adrift as to what she was supposed to be portraying, as her character performance!
Of note, there's quite a bit of 'bullying / teasing' critique between the two main guys initially on the summer cottage island - that leftover from their schoolday times chumship, apparently: so which can prompt such assessment as: good try; but (really) could do (much) better.
* (or / since just to persuade a sequel is still needed - as is actually conjectured by director.)
** well, as scriptwriter, too, come on Miska: so what's with the Mother who would leave her two children unsupervised (out of eyesight) to play on an already icefloe breaking up frozen lake while she - inferred - entices (unseen - found footage filming again***?) Dad for a quick behind the summerhouse, ah, interaction?
*** and, as to whom (Dad), even worse; director shows him as STILL FILMING whilst Mother panicking that one child is suddenly missing - yet, this 'dad' just scours the iced shoreline still from / through his camera lens view... care that much, huh? How comes HE wasn't come back for haunted, then?!!!
For a debut - (director Miska Kajanus, incidentally also playing late entry character, Joni) - plus with all the extra bits he took on (see his name recurring constantly in the credits) this should be praised .. Plus, being also scriptwriter, with what would seem like a number of quite intriguing mystery, spooky inferences set up .. but, oh dear, disappointingly, eventually turns out just to be a mish mash mess of apparently unfulfilled ideas as nothing is really plausibly, properly - acceptably - brought to any clear close*; so rather than an initially potential disconcerting, Lynchian like unsolved mystery, instead rather smacks of just either ran out of ideas, or even to just having bitten of more than chew to tie up the multiply introduced loose ends*
As initially set up with the now quite hackneyed 'found footage' trope, yet soon interspersed with seemingly fourth wall point of view(er audience) shots - (otherwise how does such POV enter whose found footage / footage taker frame?) - to tacking on an odd third party, 'actually, we're watching this unfold' mystery which then veers off onto a sub 'Don't Look Now'- like territory (well, at least, the red coats are there, and of one early introduced player also - presumably - drowned, too), but we're never hinted to a how and why** - so that finally much is just never really satisfactorily resolved. Director even casts himself into a rather neat homage 'stance' to 'Blair Witch' - which could (looked as though it would!) have soon set up - well, something more .. but, no, it just goes nowhere.
As for the 'additional' closing scenes shot whilst he (director, Kajanus) was elsewhere (and anyway, admitted, to pad a out the time to a feature rather than a short as first mooted): well, what on earth is going on, being set up?*
Nevertheless, perhaps still worth sitting through if only for Hanna Angelvou's (and with her braided hair - too long, so to be soon preferably shorn, apparently!) seemingly real life bewildered, adrift as to what she was supposed to be portraying, as her character performance!
Of note, there's quite a bit of 'bullying / teasing' critique between the two main guys initially on the summer cottage island - that leftover from their schoolday times chumship, apparently: so which can prompt such assessment as: good try; but (really) could do (much) better.
* (or / since just to persuade a sequel is still needed - as is actually conjectured by director.)
** well, as scriptwriter, too, come on Miska: so what's with the Mother who would leave her two children unsupervised (out of eyesight) to play on an already icefloe breaking up frozen lake while she - inferred - entices (unseen - found footage filming again***?) Dad for a quick behind the summerhouse, ah, interaction?
*** and, as to whom (Dad), even worse; director shows him as STILL FILMING whilst Mother panicking that one child is suddenly missing - yet, this 'dad' just scours the iced shoreline still from / through his camera lens view... care that much, huh? How comes HE wasn't come back for haunted, then?!!!
