Fantasia Film Festival 2019: DEPRAVED, RIOT GIRLS & THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WKND

I was able to screen three of the films premiering at Fantasia Film Festival 2019, and they all had a very unique voice. Some were more convincing in their execution than others, but I enjoyed all of them in all of their wonderful strangeness. Weird, when done right, is always preferred!

Depraved (Larry Fessenden)

The story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is given a new vision in Depraved, from director Larry Fessenden.

The film begins with couple Alex (Owen Campbell) and Lucy (Chloë Levine), seemingly happy (though split on the idea of having kids). When he leaves one night he’s stabbed in the street, and when he wakes up? He’s somewhere unknown, covered in scars, and completely disoriented. In fact, his brain, seems to be the only thing left from his previous life, and he can’t remember anything.

Henry (David Call), or as he states, “his father”, claims to be here to help him, and he calls him Adam. Since he has no memory or reason to be untrustworthy, he follows his lead. Henry was previously in the army, a field surgeon, and after some experimentation with medications discovered he had the ability to bring someone back. With some sketchy partners (that we don’t get too much on, but we get they are from a pharmaceutical company that’s interested) and his partner Polidori (Joshua Leonard) they create Adam (Alex Breaux) an amalgamation of various body parts jolted into existence.

As Adam heals, Henry introduces him to daily caretaking (shaving, etc) music and sports, slowly integrating him into the intricacies of life. He’s a proud little papa, misguided in his interests, thinking he’s given life, instead of the fact that he had to take it first. He isn’t Adam’s savior, as much as he is his destroyer. While Henry’s intentions were originally more honorable (in his mind) Polidori’s seem more malevolent and avaricious, showing the alternating sides of the coin when it comes to the construction of Adam.

“Depraved, that’s what we are Adam, utterly depraved.”

The film does a great job of illuminating the god complex and underlining the lengths that some will go for greed, power, and fulfillment. Much like the tale it is based from, Adam isn’t stable, and things take the disturbing turn you expect when he kills a woman and discovers what his “makers” did. There are a lot of trippy visual additions, wisps of memories, electrical volts on screen and images of a brain changing. There is plenty of imagery reminding us of the inspiration drawn from Frankenstein and that Adam is very much reborn, remade, and…unnatural.

There isn’t a happy ending to be found in Depraved, but there is redemption or at the very least a conclusion for our main character.

The effects and makeup are terrific, the acting superb, and I can’t say enough about the driving appeal of The Depraved which is that it makes a story that’s been told before somehow fresh.  Some of the highlights of the film rest on the dynamic between Henry and Adam, and the fragility of this complex relationship. Alex Breaux is especially convincing, and ultimately empathetic. The film doesn’t rely on the horror element, though that is definitely explored and no less hefty, but the characters, underlined in beauty and tragedy, make Depraved worth a look.

Riot Girls (Jovanka Vuckovic)

Infused with a punk- rock flavor and a residual style Riot Girls is a thrill fest from beginning to end. In a dystopian alternate mid 90’s, adults are gone, and those remaining children have seemed to split into two battling groups. The characters and story introduction is done so by the visual look of a comic. A choice that instantly sets the experimental table, creating a comical and fun palette that still manages to be a bloody good time.

Couple Scratch (Paloma Kwiatkowski) and Nat (Madison Iseman) are our main characters, part of the “East Side” who is frequently at war with the “West Side” a group of jocks in letterman jackets. Nat’s brother Jack (Alexandre Bourgeois), their inherent leader, is taken while out one day by the rival group. Sony (Ajay Friese) a newcomer, fully informed of the West sides layout, offers his assistance to Scratch and Nat in order to rescue Jack. On the other side, run by the seemingly ruthless bully Jeremy (Munro Chambers), things aren’t exactly “happy.” And it’s set early that they’re considered the bad guys in this narrative.

I often found Riot Girls to be a cinematic visualization of high school hell with a fantastical and violent spin. It’s essentially the jocks versus freaks on a more extreme scale. Basically: it is this freak’s movie projection of zoning out in free period, plus a rocking story that celebrates queer couples. The core relationship is believable and endearing. What’s not to like?

Written by Katherine Collins there’s an adequate dose of humor, heart, and suspense as the rescue mission commences. By all accounts, this world and their dangers and battles aren’t over, but this particular story concludes by films end. This is just a taste of their existence, and it’s a world I’d happily revisit.

Jovanka Vuckovic crafts a fun and empowering jaunt that shows the way people fall apart amid disaster and the ensuing chaos that follows, but also, how they build each up back up. It’s as much about the intricacies of its characters as it is a violent and music-fueled horror ride.  There’s a lot to appreciate with the clothing, soundtrack, and general acknowledgment of the film’s inspirations while remaining individual. It’s hard to close on a specific genre with Riot Girls and I believe that it is a strength. You could chase down several, but Riot Girls is one of a kind. It’s a throwback, yet inventive.

Just let it be, utterly itself, and you won’t be disappointed.

The Incredible Shrinking Wknd (El Increíble Finde Menguante) (Jon Mikel Caballero)

A group of friends venture to a cabin for a relaxing vacation. Couple Alba (Iria del Río) and Pablo (Adam Quintero) seem to be having a rough patch, and it’s Alba’s idea to head here, a place she visited as a child. When she strolls down by the river and heads back to the cabin, suddenly things are different – or, well, exactly the same. She’s back in the car, headed towards the camp, completely lost as to what is happening. In essence, she’s locked in a loop of what she just experienced. Her other friends seem to make the most of their trip despite drawbacks (like a lack of working water) and have a fun night of dinner, alcohol, and charades, but Alba is stuck.

Things keep resetting to inside the vehicle as they arrive at their destination. Each time things are repeated, others unearthed as she gets more answers regarding her fledgling relationship. No one else knows about her predicament, which thrusts her through a cycle of emotions like resentment, anger, and acceptance. Slowly chipping away at insecurities and uncertainties, she continuously hangs out with friends, drinking, trying to let loose, but ultimately stuck analyzing her life in all its imperfections.

As she continues to experience these loops, she realizes that with each one they are an hour shorter, which makes her figure out how much she has left. It’s sort of in the vein of Groundhogs Day, or Happy Death Day (without the murderous side) on a much smaller, more intimate scale. I’ll admit, I wasn’t entirely sold on the film for a while. It seemed to sputter a bit but by its closing credits – in a moment of forced, if not earned resolution – I was content. There may be some pacing issues here, but there’s also a story worth discovering.

Like so many of us, there are moments we wish we could re-do or things we wish we knew then that we know now. There’s a symbolic element to our thirties in particular as you’ve shed your twenties and adulthood really demands its penance. Here we have an admirable lead, who holds the film squarely on our shoulders, and writing by director Jon Mikel Caballero, which aptly captures these struggles. Alba isn’t perfect, she’s flawed in all the ways one might expect, but given some time, she’s willing to change. Can we expect anything more?

One of the strengths of the film is Alba, who manages to portray her role with strength and vulnerability. She’s completely taken aback by the sequence of events, but she takes advantage of it, learning to find clarity and peace within her relationships. Overall, the movie, even in its occasional oblique offering, does its justice in creating something singular and inviting.

For more information on the Fantasia Film Festival, visit their website here.