In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.
Showing posts with label Renate Reinsve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renate Reinsve. Show all posts

Sunday, 31 May 2026

Backrooms (2026)


Kane Parsons was only 16 years old when he created his found footage web series The Backrooms, based on the popular creepypasta. Now at 20, he adapts his own material for his first feature film, which retains its grassroots design.

It's interesting how internet-based folklore (such as Slender Man) has steadily creeped its way into our collective subconscious, but it tends to keep building on itself. Taking its origins in the 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of glitching through reality into a space "in between" that stretches out infinitely is pure nightmare fuel. It has that uneasy feeling of being lost in the outer boundaries of a video game, and the ensuing claustrophobia and panic that sets in when you realize there's no escape. This is spooky stuff that hits at a primal level. This type of labyrinthine fever dream was also recently explored in Exit 8.

This movie is quite the experience. It's almost as if someone mainlined Twin Peaks season 3 directly into their veins. A lot of bizarre, nonsensical stuff that can't be explained and held together by dream logic, haunting imagery and loose strands of plot. It is truly eerie and unpredictable. I can't get enough of this shit. It leaves so much to the imagination. A simple, back to basics horror concept that can be explored ad nauseam, yet it merely scratches the surface. Just don't wander in too deep or you might get trapped in some rabbit holes.

4 l̶̛̛͖̮̞͉̽͋̈́̀͊͛̐̅͂͘̚͝i̸̡͖̗͉̽̇͒̏̈́̒̐ͅm̶̛̩̖̗͇̺͕̹͙̜̜̺̳̎͑̌̀͛͂̀̈́̇ͅi̶̛̙̳̙̘̭̭͇̻̲͎̒̀̊͑̎̿̿͒̋̑̄n̵̯̳̺̲̔̋͂̈̊̆̇̍͗̿ą̶̨̰̹͚̖̈́̑̐̉̀̂̄͑͗̕͠ͅͅl̵̡͙͇̯̤͇͔̮͍̪̦͒͌̔̈́͗̾ ̵͚̭̈́̌̏̓̿̽͊͌̾͑̓̚͝s̸͔̳̱̖̖̜̓͒̂͊̉͜͝͝͝ͅp̵̨̨̡̜̟̹͔͆͋̅̅̽̾͗̇̽̈́̋̚͘a̷̯̟̩̹̦̥̥̯̍̈́̄̒͛̈́̓͌̑͗̂̒͝c̷̨̧͕̝͓̬̠̫͎̟̖̼̪̐ͅę̶̨͔͉̯̰̬̲̹̰͍̫̦̆͒s̴̢̨͇͇̙͓̞͇͖̞͖̰͍͝ out of 5

Tuesday, 30 December 2025

Sentimental Value (2025)

AKA: Affeksjonsverdi

A strained relationship between a famed director (Stellan Skarsgård) and his daughter (Renate Reinsve) comes a head when he casts a young Hollywood starlet (Elle Fanning) to portray her in his new film. Explores the relationship between artistic expression and intergenerational trauma. I found it a bit too clean cut for my liking, but the performances and the sentiment are top notch.

3½ slaps for good luck out of 5

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

A Different Man (2024)

"All unhappiness in life comes from not accepting what is."

A man with facial disfigurement undergoes an experimental treatment and ends up with an attractive face. The difference it makes in his life is stark. The way this plot plays out is so strange, I thought I was losing my mind. Essentially a nightmarish black comedy, this movie is depressing for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is its meta mixed messaging. To be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I was expecting The Elephant Man and got something closer to Synecdoche, New York (not exactly a bad compromise).
Features a performance from Adam Pearson (Under the Skin), whose real-life condition appears to have inspired the material in some capacity.

3 spots of black mold out of 5