Not Just Another Supernatural Thriller: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: an online screener of this film was provided by director Jason Bognacki and Full Frame Features. Bognacki and this writer have worked together in the past.

Director/writer: Jason Bognacki.

Cast: David Landry, Maria Olsen, Lillian Pennypacker and Paulie Redding.

Another is the first feature film from director Jason Bognacki ("The Red Door"). This film has played at several film festivals, recently and the reception has been mostly positive. The film can best be described as a Giallo-themed thriller, with a few gothic elements added in. Bognacki's first feature is light on story, with the director focusing more on the visual display. In the film, two immortals fight over the souls of the living; there is no clear winner. Shot on 4K digital with the Red One camera, the visuals of Another will stay with the viewer, long after the curtains have fallen.

The story begins with a coven of witches. A child is abducted an the story shifts to an eighteen year old's birthday. Jordyn (Paulie Redding) is now a woman. Instead of enjoying the ups and downs of dating and life, in general, she must deal with a tug-of-war between good and evil. The possession of her body is the dark deceiver's goal. So, Jordyn must learn of magic, her origins and of ways to protect herself. The protagonist's naïveté is her own undoing and this film ends with a dark chapter.

A lot of close-up shooting in this one.

Bognacki borrows some of his stylings from Italy's Giallo genre. Centrally, Another begins as a mystery. This mystery is revealed slowly through the first two acts. And, mystery is central element of Giallo films. As well, protagonist's in Giallo films are usually young women and that is the case here. Actress Paulie Redding looks very youthful in this feature and she is able to draw on the illusion of innocence, in order to show Jordyn's vulnerability to the supernatural. A trademark of Giallo films is the stalking villain. Directors of this style of filmmaking will often shoot through the eyes of the killer. In one scene, a knife blade hovers just in front of the camera. The shot looks surreal. Fans of Giallo will recognize this scene for what it is, another element of Giallo filmmaking. All of these elements show that Bognacki has taken a liking to Italian thrillers and horror features.

Plotlines for this genre of filmmaking are not often very deep, nor complex. The focus of Another is on the visual style and writing elements suffer. In the film's defence, almost every scene has something added in visually. A late scene involving the coven of witches shows a skull in the background. The skull looks etched from the cave's structure. In another scene, fire and brimstone take over the screen as two witches do battle. There are hundreds of other additions to the visual plane. However, the film's story can be broken down simply: good vs. evil. It seems that Satan will never die. Talk of Jesus, bright lights and the devil incarnate come off as slightly tired. These types of themes and superstitions have been done to death. This viewer was hoping for a more complex morality play, which would look at different, more human views on evil. Virtue and corruption are more intriguing than superstition. Still, Bognacki has found a strong directing style here.

As a final critique, the film is very short in length. At seventy minutes, this title would actually be considered a short film. However, the very long credit sequence, involving two dancing characters, adds another ten minutes to the film. As well, other early scenes are stretched, with the use of slow motion sequences. Scenes, which are sometimes static, are held for a longer length of time than usual. Though, the film still feels slightly long. Bognacki's transition from short films to features is still ongoing.

Bognacki's Another is continuing a festival run, including an appearance at the Fright Night Film Fest (Oct. 5th, 2014). This film is for fans of Giallo and of visual style. Fans of storytelling and characters might be slightly disappointed by this feature. Still, Bognacki knows how to create an interesting visual sphere, which is full of surreal, dreamscape imagery. It is difficult to tell what is real in the film, often. This viewer enjoyed the experimentation of the film and some of the ingenuity. Another is a film which shows a lot of promise for an up-and-coming director.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (a strong visual style, a huge diversity in shooting, lighting is used to affect, there is almost too much going on visually).

A trailer for the film is available here. You can see if it is right for you:

An Another Trailer at 28DLA


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