Austin Film Festival went by in a wonderful blur! As a writer’s festival I was especially motivated to cover it and I didn’t leave disappointed. With an appreciation for the craft and the value of festivals in general, Austin Film Festival 2019 gave us some very impressive tales. In my first report, all three films are peculiar, each with moments that excelled but were also expectant in their trajectory and not as residual as I hoped. Even in their shortcomings, Rattlesnake, Skyman and The VICE Guide’s to Bigfoot were all just off center enough to be entertaining.
Rattlesnake (Zak Hilditch)
What would you do to save your child’s life?
As one of Netflix’s newest scares, Rattlesnake gives you what you expect, but not much more. There is a terrific and devastating central performance by Carmen Ejogo, but it doesn’t shock and awe like it could. There are quite a few moments where the story gives us a haunting moment, but it’s just that- inflammatory, meant for a shudder versus a resonating blight. It just doesn’t add to the narrative. The most impressive parts are those that highlight the morality and decision-making process of such a gut-wrenching predicament.
Rattlesnake follows single mother Katrina (Carmen Ejogo) and daughter Clara (Apollonia Pratt) on the road as they make their way through Texas. When a flat tire stalls their trip momentarily, the child is bitten by a snake. In her desperation Katrina notices a trailer not far off. The woman inside, quietly sinister in her aloofness, offers assistance, but vaguely trails off with “we’ll discuss payment later.” Later, as it turns out, is soon.
At the hospital she’s reassured that her daughter is fine. In fact, not even bitten. But, when a mysterious man shows up (this entity- as we’ll say, changes and looks like those who have been killed before) he states that she must take another soul before sunset. It’s the trade she unknowingly accepted and if she doesn’t do it than her daughter will be consumed with the poison once again.
The urgency and the care for detail are here, again, but what Zak Hilditch was able to capture in 1922 he is unable to recreate here: a centralized dread. Both have a similar tie of making horrible decisions and living with them, but while this movie gleamed with flashy imagery the other took root in your gut. It’s hard and almost unfair to compare this to his adaptation of the King story, but this original screenplay, written by Hilditch, just fails to convey its own horror.
And, it’s there. The script could have taken more of those intricate routes of the human psyche and the balance of life and death, but instead it focuses too much on looking good. Ejogo is exceptional, and there’s enough intrigue here even if the suspense tapers off. It’s a complex story, and as the final moments close, it’s clear that no one is getting away clean.
Here are some clips from our red carpet interviews with Zac Hilditch:
The VICE Guide to Bigfoot (Zach Lamplugh)
Another faux- documentary style cryptozoological film. You know…normal film festival fair.
Funny, but occasionally devoid of direction, The VICE Guide to Bigfoot isn’t completely certain of its own execution. The main characters Brian (Brian Emond) and Zach (Zach Lamplugh) have a comical presence that makes their reluctance believable. Zach also writes/directs this debut, with Brian co-writing. It’s an obvious first feature, with more than enough ape-man sized snafu’s, but there’s also some well-written humor between these two.
Brian is struggling to get the stories he wants as a serious journalist. After being overlooked for a promotion it’s clear that he’s grown tired of “click bait” stories. So, when his cameraman and him are sent to Georgia to interview a self-proclaimed Bigfoot expert and Jurassic Park quoting (he claims originality) Jeff (Jeffrey Stephenson), his stoicism is unmistakable. It is worth noting Emond could easily be a face on one of those shirts where his expression never changes, something that works for his character. His misery laces with the experience in a comical way.
When they go out on a Bigfoot scouting trip, they soon become lost, and oddities begin to pile up. Jeff’s character is portrayed as silly yet sincere, and he’s a good balance to the more driven Brian/Zach, even if some of the jokes fall flat. When VICE is being more irreverent, while still finding some heart, it’s at its best.
I was attracted to the film because, well… Bigfoot. With a long-time captivation for cryptozoology, and of course, an appreciator of all things laughable, I hoped the movie would combine the two well. VICE Guide isn’t a bad film by any stretch, as potential lurks around every spooky- tree, but it’s one that would have been better suited as a short. I was surprised by some of the narrative decisions made in the final section, once again, showing what we consider “monsters” are hardly ever what we expect. It’s a film less about the creature in its title and more about Brian’s journey to career/life satisfaction, but it lacks a certain pointedness I was hoping for.
Skyman (Daniel Myrick)
As a mockumentary we are delivered another opportunity for intimacy in a fictional setting. Much like The Blair Witch Project (with the same co-writer/director, that was also having an anniversary showing here) we follow a subject, waiting to see if the story is “real” a “hoax” or just… a troubled man’s recollection of what happened.
There are aspects that work like that in Skyman, especially when it comes to Carl Merryweather (Michael Selle) and his sister Gina (Nicolette Sweeney), who share a believable chemistry. It is the kind of sci-fi I gravitate to, and I was curious how Myrick (who wrote and directed) would crystallize this idea and make it new. Well, he doesn’t entirely. It’s a bumpy one for sure, but there’s still an evident passion even when the film doesn’t necessarily fully convey it.
With a story such as this, about a man who believes he was visited by an alien as a child and will be again, it’s important for the main character to be sympathetic and believable. Selle manages this well, and Myrick gives us an informal structure, even if the execution is lacking. Some of the decisions of the “edited” documentary aren’t great. Since this is premiering at a film festival, I’m sure the film’s final product will be a bit smoother. Still, despite some sluggishness to the pacing, there’s something admirable to the approach and some interesting science-fiction elements that I appreciate.
I think the film finds its ease in the final act when the siblings and a friend go to the spot where the incident happened 30 years earlier. They are there to celebrate his 40th birthday, but also, to be revisited by the Skyman. Carl is unrelenting in his belief, despite others who aren’t as confident. He’s consumed with this idea, and it’s clear from the beginning that this film isn’t about his vindication. It’s about the trauma of an experience like this, how it directly affects a person’s life (especially in an area where everyone knows your business) and the drive, of course- because you can’t ignore it- to make the viewer ponder the belief that we are not alone.
It is worth mentioning that there are some very interesting set pieces used in Skyman. The metal container that their father stayed in, and where they spend part of the film, as well as a couple beautiful desert locales are all characters in and of themselves. Skyman is very far from perfect, but curious enough even for the skeptics out there.
Rattlesnake premiered at Austin FF and is also streaming on Netflix. Skyman and The VICE Guide to Bigfoot had their premieres at Austin FF.
Were you able to see any of these films? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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