As in year’s past, the time for the infamous SIFF capsule review has come. Though this year has been notable slower than last – in which I took in 40 films for SIFF’s 40th Anniversary – the slate of films has generally been stronger – likely due to my more selective palette this year. As is protocol, these brief reviews must only span 75 words. For those liking their review with a heavy dose of brevity, this is your goldmine. Be sure to check www.siff.net to find showings of those must-see movies and be sure to drop me a line on any of your favorites. For now though, let us review.

UNEXPECTED

U.S.A., d. Kris Swanberg

Unexpected, a title that applies to the central character’s pregnancy just as much as her friendship that develops with her young, underprivileged student, is a social think piece that couches racial issues in with ultrasounds and baby showers. Cobie Smulders whittles a human character – based largely on writer/director Kris Swanberg – that rings emotional bells even if the film somewhat fails to truly subvert the white savior platitudes its trying so hard to turn on its belly. (C)

H.

U.S.A., d. Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia

A city descends into confusion and ultimately madness when a meteor strikes (or does it?) Two Helens of Troy (Troy, New York that is) each dealing with “motherhood”, succumb to the influence this meteor’s coming holds over their town. Those with a taste for Damon Lindelof‘s “The Leftovers” will find a similar platter of unsettling mystical design – with discomforting visual cues, invasive musical stylings, and a mysterious black horse – but H. also pays homage to the work of David Lynch and Lars von Trier, making it an easy recommendation for fans of surrealist cinema. (B)

CUB

Belgium, d. Jonas Govaerts

A troop of eager cub scouts embark to a haunted wood where they find bobby traps and a feral kid in an antler mask waiting to turn their wooded stay into a gory holiday. The requisite kills are satisfyingly outweighed by a brutal character metamorphosis that takes its sweet time to unfold. Housed in an all-encompassing fog of darkness, a fair measure of bleak masochism pairs with the film’s Biblical cynicism, making Cub a cross between Hostel and The Boy, a downtrodden shocker sure to whet the appetite of horror fan’s blackest tastes. (B-)

CIRCLE

U.S.A., d. Aaron Hann, Mario Miscione

Once you get past the rather obtuse sci-fi-cum-psycoliogical-thriller setup in which a round-robin of people vote for who’s to die next, Circle has some half-decent philosophical positioning to offer. It attempts to be a sci-fi offshoot of 12 Angry Men in  breaking down prejudices in a one location environ made lively by votes, alliances and paranoia per a good “Survivor” season and matched with a suspect robotic Russian Roulette MacGuffin. The script can be decent enough but is undone by an abundance of telegraphed overacting, fool-hardy plot resolutions and an underwhelming head-scratcher of an ending. (C-)

BLIND

Norway, d. Eskil Vogt

A wonder of a film that could only exist outside the confines of American cinema, Blind is this year’s Borgman; a deliciously hypnagogic venture into twisted fantasies and sexual figments. Blind plays out the story of Ingrid, played beautifully by the near-albino Ellen Dorrit Petersen, a woman who’s imagination paves the way for an invented affair narrative that we’re never meant to take literally. Rather, Blind‘s esoteric playful fiddling with reality is what makes it so strangely awe-inspiring. A must see. (B+)

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