Change Your Image
cinephreak
Reviews
Quench (2007)
An indie film powerhouse...
Quench is the latest endeavor from indie film maverick Zack Parker, who helmed the low-budget horror romp with a clever twist, Inexchange. And for a sophomore effort, I'm damned impressed.
The tale follows Derik (Bo Barrett), who's returned home after a decent hiatus in order to deal with some looming issues resulting from a recent personal tragedy. He looks up his old friend Jason (Ben Schmitt), in the hopes of finding both a place to crash and a soul to confide in. But Jason's changed since last they spoke – now a part of a very abnormal and rather foreboding "family" (a cult-like gathering that enjoys trading bodily fluids on an extreme level… crazysexygoth blood-drinking orgies). Derik is vicariously tossed into this new world as he tries to cope with his demons and accept the newfound affection of one of the family's young hipsters, Gina (Mia Moretti).
The production value is stellar, especially for a low-budget HD venture. The cinematography is deft, and refreshingly honed, unlike a lot of indie films that try to hide their lack of budget through camera-work that constantly shakes and weaves (an effect that often is arguably anything but intentional). Parker keeps his frame focused, unafraid to highlight the mise-en-scene he's so carefully littered throughout each scene. The score bears an intensely atmospheric vibe – ominous, ethereal and delightfully resonant.
The performances are generally solid. Schmitt proves effective as a sort of oil-and-water counterpart to Derik, and Moretti walks a somewhat shaky balance between heartfelt and hollow (for me, in some scenes she seemed spot-on while in others her delivery was rather stiff – a decent performance overall). The other notable role, Veronica, is played with impressive vigor by Samantha Eileen DeTurk. But the MVP award definitely goes to Barrett – his portrayal of Derik is all at once a wounded, intense, somber and pathetic visage of utter deconstruction.
The main draw of the film, which elevates this modern indie tragedy above its peers, is Parker's astute direction. His scene execution, narrative comprehension, and visual bravado show meticulous control. Parker crafts his tale with a profound ambiguity, offering a refreshingly unique perspective to what one would easily assume to be a strict horror binge. His style carries subtle nuances of Kubrick, Polanski and Lynch (with a dash of giallo), as he steadily and methodically builds his dramatic tension to somewhat of a low-level maelstrom.
Quench is a wake-up call to independent filmmakers – a force to be reckoned with and a true Midwestern masterpiece that can only make one clamor with anticipation to see what Parker might accomplish on his next filmic go-around. A cult smash in the making, it's aces all the way – definitely worth seeking out.
Keep Your Distance (2005)
A decent ambitious flick
Keep Your Distance manages to take the increasingly formulaic thriller genre and bend it to serve its needs. It's an indie flick that polished itself up, threw on some cologne and presented itself as a decently budgeted studio film (from a glance you can tell every dollar spent on this movie went into the production, not the cast/crew's pockets).
The acting is solid more or less across the board. Gil Bellows walks decently in the shoes of a leading man, and delivers a restrained, convincing performance (though he isn't the most empathetic of protagonists). David Dailey (Bellows) is a beloved Louisville radio personality, unintentionally stoic in his personal life until his marriage is jilted at the helm of his power-couple wife Susan (an underdeveloped but effective Kim Raver). After receiving the first in a series of mysterious notes, he takes a key he finds and follows it to a hotel room where he catches his wife with another woman. Then there is Melody (Jennifer Westfeldt in a strong and charismatic role – the standout of the flick), a charming and misdirected woman who meets David in a chance encounter. Their instant chemistry is furthered as she becomes David's only real confidant through his pseudo-emotional hell as the letters continue to arrive, lacing a narrative of unknown consequence.
The story weaves about through a local political scandal, Melody's struggle with her recently proposed and denied boyfriend, the random letters, and David's coping with his wife's seemingly random sexual awakening (she loves him, but wants to add other women to their bedroom excursions). The problem is the story is chock-full of controversial material – child pornography, consensual ménage polygamy, political corruption, etc – but the delivery pulls punches. Not that the movie has to revel in visual immorality, but the depiction of the elements falls short of what your mind conceives. Which in a sense could be a good choice, as too many movies give the audience little credit and visually bombard them with the obvious. So at least Keep Your Distance is smart and lets you fill in the gaps yourself.
The script could have used more work. There were a few plot holes, a very anti-climactic ending (which sets itself up to be so much more – I loved the buildup, just not the final note), and several characters are left undeveloped to the point of possible removal. Mainly Melody's boyfriend Sean (Christian Kane – whose performance is apt, but reaching as he is nearly completely unsympathetic to the audience) and his father (Stacey Keach) and his father's assistant (Elizabeth Pena). These characters were interesting enough, but disappeared too soon and got left behind in the movie's primary focus – David and Melody. A side note – Jamie Harrold's performance as Whit, David's radio sidekick is beautifully complex. His obsessive shadowing and idolizing of David's life is genuinely harrowing, if not slightly short of expectation by the final reel.
That out of the way, the cinematography is very nice, with some extremely elegant shots. The story is intriguing enough, with several chilling, humorous, and occasional Hitchcock-like moments. The dialogue is very witty and creative, specific to each character. The movie is extremely voyeuristic and takes risks when it can, constantly standing before thematic and technical hurdles it probably shouldn't be able to jump, but can. It's admirable that an independent film can have such high aspirations and genuinely strive to achieve them, rather than cornering itself into a watered down version of its potential self.
Stu Pollard's direction is very sound. He has grown immensely from his previous work Nice Guys Sleep Alone, which was a heartfelt, and often genuine romantic comedy that isn't afraid of being tongue-in-cheek and borderline Hallmark. His work on that was astute, but this time around he presents his material as something he's mauled over extensively on a personal level. The structure of many of the scenes is extremely poignant, and the camera-work is selective – extravagant when necessary and subdued when relevant. It knows when to shut up and let the actors play out the story. The editing is specific to each scene, and keeps a decent pace, though certain scenes could run shorter (namely the music number in the club).
From Nice Guys to Distance, Pollard has redefined himself as a filmmaker. He's translated his witty dialogue and intriguing characters to a completely different genre. It feels as if he's tackled this effort from a completely different and unexplored angle, which results in a pleasant success.
I'd recommend seeing Keep Your Distance when you get the chance. It's an intriguing, entertaining, yet all at once flawed, engaging flick that exists as a morality tale. A warning that no level of outward perfection is immune to being overthrown by envy, greed, or lust, but hope might be there to comfort you at the end of the day if you keep your distance. From whatÂ… is up to you.