Monday, March 24, 2008
By: David Harley
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Today David Harley submmited his review for Dark Sky Films' DVD release of Them , which is now available at retailers everywhere. Lucas and Clémentine, a thirtysomething couple, are expats in Romania. They live in an isolated house in the suburbs of Bucharest. Clémentine, a French teacher, and Lucas, a novelist, live in peaceful happiness. However, one evening in their house, everything is turned upside down. Rain is beating outside. The telephone keeps ringing... distant voices at the end of the line... incomprehensible. The couple are not alone. The nightmare begins. THEY are there....
THEM is a film that I was really skeptical about watching. Lately, I've been catching up on festival films that I missed and have been sorely disappointed by all of them. I still don't get all the love for MANDY LANE, which was extremely predictable from the five minute point until the end, or INSIDE, a film that I found to be just average. THEM, however, exceeded my expectations in being one of the most tense films I've seen in quite a while.
Clementine (Olivia Bonamy, who is very easy on the eyes) and her husband Lucas (Michaël Cohen), live in a remodeled villa in the outskirts of Bucharest. Calling it a night after an exhausting day of teaching and writing, the couple is awakened by strange noises. Going downstairs to investigate, they watch helplessly as their car is stolen. Soon after, the power goes out and the couple is left vulnerable in their house as they are terrorized by THEM.
The sound design and music for the film is possibly its strongest asset. Instead of opting for the easy way out by using a manufactured and orchestrated score for the film, Composer Rene-Marc Bini focuses on making the flow of the music as random as possible, distorting the instruments to the point of not having any sort of harmonic recognition. The score catches you off guard, which works well for the tone of the film because a home invasion could also be described as such. On top of that, an immense amount of sound effect work was added, giving even more tension to the film, especially in the attic and sewer chase scenes. One sound in particular, which is used over and over again in the film, is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
Stylistically, the film looks brilliant. Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud (who recently helmed The Eye remake) shot on HD cameras, adding to the brisk and chaotic tone of the film. The film felt very organic, as it didn't feel like every scene I was watching was overproduced. No frantic editing, no over-stylization in post production. Just pure terror.
The writing in the film, however, is unbalanced. On one hand, I loved how the script gave us a chance to become intimate with the characters before the terror begins. Simple sequences, such as when the couple is eating dinner, really showcases the chemistry between the actors (who were phenomenal) and gives us a documentary-like approach to seeing them in their daily routine. The opening sequence, involving a mother and daughter who are accosted by THEM, does a great job of introducing us to the mysterious figures and setting the tone of the whole film.
On the other hand, about 50% of the time, the characters did the exact opposite of what anyone with half of a brain would have done in their same situation. From not filing a police report about their stolen vehicle immediately (which could have potentially saved them from their horrifying ordeal) to being somewhat hesitant about harming the mysterious figures, they regularly displayed their stereotypical “horror movie character” stupidity. If this hadn’t been present, THEM would have had the potential to be the best horror film I had seen in a decade.
THEM, once again, proves that HAUTE TENSION isn't the only horror gem to come out of France this decade. Whether it's the atmosphere that oozes more and more with every scene or the astounding sound design, THEM is well worth watching for a palm-sweating experience that we don't get to enjoy too often.
Special Features
The Making of THEM (26:42): Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud (along with occasional interjections by stars Bonamy and Cohen) talk about the origin of the script and all aspects of the film's production. It goes into detail about shoot setups, hesitations of the crew and, even, some on-set injuries. And, for probably the first time in a long while, a making-of documentary actually made me appreciate the film more.
Composer Rene-Marc Bini Featurette (10:18): From orchestral sessions to distorting the sound and adding effects, Bini goes through his entire process of creating the score. Interestingly enough, he confirms a lot of my thoughts about the creation of the score. He also goes through his thought process of creating the final score for several scenes.
The Torture of Clementine (7:14): Shows the preparation and shooting of a sequence, in which one of the mysterious figures kidnaps Clementine and tortures her in a sewer. It's basically just an “Anatomy of a Scene” featurette that we've seen before but still worth a watch.
Score 4/5
Source: Order here
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