Indie Horror Review: The Absent and Not Being Fully There

*Full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by Sage Bannick.

Director: Sage Bannick.

Writers: Ari Bernstein, Damon Abdallah, and Sage Bannick.

The Absent is 4/10 high school drama, 4/10 slasher and 1/10 psychological thriller. Releasing on DVD March 15th through Passion River, The Absent is an eighty minute challenge upon the attention, with some tension coming from a teacher/student interplay. You see, Vincent is a science teacher with a crush on a young student, named Katie. Soon, characters are dying and motivations are not fully realized. An indie film with passion and ambition, The Absent just never becomes compelling.

Director Sage Bannick has stated that this film was shot in ten days: "on a shoestring budget." So right out of the starting block, this film is rushed. Most films require at least two weeks, excluding re-shoots. A film just cannot rise to any excellent quality, with such a short shooting schedule. The writing, pacing, and acting are all here, but the low production shows in the quality of film, the sets, and the execution of the scenes.

The teacher and student sexual interplay has been touched upon in films like The Graduate and in American Beauty. In The Graduate, sexual roles are reversed, with Anne Bancroft, seducing a much younger student. In American Beauty, there is no class room, but the power position of an older, more powerful man, played by Kevin Spacey, seducing a younger woman is within. In The Absent, the seduction of a young woman by an older, creepy man just feels dirty. Her death comes not much later and the private tensions of such a risk taking venture are not taken to its true potential.

One of a few film elements that The Absent does get right is the pacing. Plot developments occur quickly, with a young child named Oliver extinguishing his parent's lives. His parents are attempting to end Oliver's own life for a hefty insurance policy and instead, he fights back with rat poison. Even now, the whole absurdity of this film is making this reviewer laugh. However, this independent feature is always pushing the action forward.

Finally, the cast list from this film is experienced, including Bryan Kirkwood (Hellbent), Yvonne Zima ("The Young and the Restless"), Vanessa Zima (Wicked), Denny Kirkwood (Never Been Kissed) and Sam Ball (The Last Castle). There are only a few fudges with the acting and with a ten day shooting schedule, you only get one shot with your lines.

The Absent is for a special selection of fans, who like independent horror features. This film will not likely reach a wide audience and Bannick's third film does not really rise above the trailer parks from which it is often situated. The Absent never leaves; yet, its presence is barely felt.

Overall: 6 out of 10 (some Jungian psychology in the plot e.g. The Shadow, solid acting, interesting story, quick cuts, short runtime, and feels rushed).

A second review of this film is available at Big Daddy Horror:

The Absent at Big Daddy Horror

The film's trailer can be seen here, on Youtube:

The Absent Trailer

For some:



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Posted in: 2011,ari bernstein,bryan kirkwood,independent,movie review,sage bannick,sam ball,slasher movie review,yvonne zima