The Infliction of Film Viewing Pain: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Virgil Films.

**there are major spoilers here.

Director/writer: Jack Thomas Smith.

Nothing says entertainment like 100 minutes of familial drama (sarcasm). Director and writer Jack Thomas Smith's Infliction is just that. Themes of sexual abuse, child pornography and incest are the name of the game, but they might not be for you. Yet, sometimes, if a film is not entertaining, then it can be insightful. However, there is very little to be learned from Infliction. Outside of the challenging themes, Infliction suffers from pacing issues through the initial fourty-five minutes and story elements are mostly static through this period. The film looks grainy and washed out, with action elements or horror elements limited to a few scenes. In fact, this title is marketed as a horror outing, but this is a misrepresentation; Infliction is drama through and through. And, Infliction is one film whose drama is more torment than anything else.

The film begins with the characters Sean and Kenny. Together, they set out on a roadtrip, which involves several knifings. These two are seeking revenge on those who tortured them as children. All grown up, the brothers are ready to act out their rage on everyone who wronged them. However, several interior shots in a car of bickering, or a dialogue heavy kidnapping in an old building do not make for quality entertainment.

No fun to be had here, not even for the characters.

Themes in the film involve child abuse. Smith creates some mystery by revealing very little of his two protagonists: Sean and Kenny. Though, hints of the brother's abuse begins to surface in Act II. The brothers begin to interact with more and more characters and these characters reveal the brother's past, indirectly. Their past involves incest, child pornography and physical abuse. Infliction is not light entertainment; it is not really entertaining at all. The film's dark themes seem to sap any joy or kinetic energy from the film and from a viewing experience.

Some horror fans might pick up this title by mistake. Virgil films publicizes this title as a found footage horror feature: "two brothers calmly record their gruesome crimes in the buzzed-about horror document(ary) Infliction." As well, the trailer for the film is edited in such a way as to portray the film as a wild killing spree. Yet, Infliction does not pack-in very much horror. There are no thrills, chills or even frills, here. There are few solid action elements in the film, as well. The film is centrally a dramatic outing. Dialogue heavy, the film focuses primarily on the conversations between the brothers and later, a sister. Even more family members are added in during the climax and the film's genre is centrally that of a familial drama. And, this is one family drama that you will probably want to avoid.

There are a number of questionable production elements here. Found footage films are very hard to produce efficiently and with quality. Eduardo Sanchez's The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Ti West's recent The Sacrament are two features which offer quality found footage films. The first film tells more by showing very little. After all, it is what you cannot see that creates true terror. West's 2014 outing put the viewer in the front seat at a cult community. This almost first-hand approach offered several unsettling scenes. Unfortunately, Infliction does not utilize the handheld camera and stationary vehicle cameras with any interest. For example, there are shots of a house in the background as the brothers drive up the street. This scene, while short, is wasteful and not intriguing to watch. As well, the digital film looks grainy and washed out in several scenes. The visuals look drab, overall. Also, some of the actors come across as amateurs. One death scene was almost comical, due to an over-the-top approach to the scene. Story elements are minimized, the climax is awkward, or strange and the film only manages to incite feelings of boredom and later, disgust. Infliction is not a fun nor a well produced outing by any stretch of the imagination.

This title will release soon on various formats (July 1st, 2014) and this film fan would like to direct viewers away from the film, especially horror fans. Horror fans will be very disappointed by this outing. Though, fans of drama might find a few curious tidbits here and there, if you can handle difficult themes. Overall, the writer, Smith, picks very challenging topics to cover and these topics are best served elsewhere, unless they are offered with compelling and rewarding insights. Infliction is a very sour piece, which offers a 100 minutes of mostly drudgery.

Overall: 6 out of 10 (do two scenes of kidnapping and murder make this film one of horror? acting from the two main protagonists is well done, the climax will make you squirm and want to turn off the film - but wait there are even more awkward scenes!).

A trailer for the film was posted earlier:

An Infliction Trailer on 28DLA


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