[ANNPRMEOW] A Dark Song

[Kyle]

This is the discussion thread for the All New Nerd Pride Radio Movie of the Every Other Week!

This thread is only for those who have seen the movie recently. Commentary from people who haven't seen it will be deleted.

This Every Other Weeks Movie: A Dark Song, selected by Kyle.

WARNING- ALL SPOILERS FOR THIS MOVIE ARE ALLOWED! For real, if you haven't seen it, don't read any further!

Discuss!

[Kyle]

Y'all. I loved this movie. It's hard to do a slow burn movie properly. Often they lose their way by padding for time or forgetting that the purpose of a slow burn is to build tension consistently through the run time. This movie did it perfectly. From the beginning when you're just trying to figure out what the ritual is and why the characters want to do it, to the running questions through the middle about whether or not anything is even happening, to the end of the movie where you start questioning if the crazy stuff is real or in the character's head. It's just a perfect escalation of tension from beginning to end, culminating in a beautiful reveal that I felt was note perfect.

So let's talk about the end. The fucking guardian angel shows up- and I know this is a no-budget Irish horror movie, but the stylistic way that whole last scene played out looked awesome, and was a little breathtaking for me having watch the progression of events. And then for her to ask to be able to forgive. Agh. My heart broke.

So I have questions- the first time I watched this movie, I got the vibe that the dude was actually responsible for her son going missing in the first place. Thus, when she says she wants revenge, then in the end asks for forgiveness, it seemed like she could do that because she got her revenge when he died. But on my second viewing, I couldn't understand where I got that idea from. On my second viewing, I don't think he had anything to do with the kids disappearance and the whole progression of the movie is an exercise in her tumultuous handling of overpowering grief. I like that interpretation better.

I think there could be a question too about whether she wanted the ability to forgive all along and was just not honest with the ritual dude, but I don't think that makes sense to the story because then she didn't really have the motivation to lie about it from the beginning, whereas if her original motive was revenge, of course she's going to lie because she doesn't think he'd do the ritual if he knew.

For a movie that really only had two characters, I just thought it was great. I was never bored, the tension was amazing and the story was beautifully told. The acting was also amazing from two people I've never heard of. Such a good movie.

[buckett]

Neat little horror flick. I got more than a little zoneout during the first half but it was well done overall.

I never got the sense that the other dude was implicated in her son's death, I think he was just an asshole, so I mostly agree with your second reading. I also lean toward thinking that it was never her intent to ask for forgiveness until the very end, and the events of the film compounded with the awe-inspiring realization of how small we are pushed her to make that choice in that moment.

I did like the framing of these kind of rituals as insanely taxing endurance tests.

[Tahlvin]

This kind of movie is usually not my cup of tea. But I enjoyed it.

The slowburn was well done. And Kyle, I agree with your second thoughts as well: the guy wasn't involved with her son's death, he was just a means to help her get revenge. And I think she was intent on revenge until the last moment, then changed her mind when faced with the enormity of it all.

And man, that guy was a jerk for making her undress so he could masturbate!

[Zombie]

I also liked this one. Really well done slow burn of a movie. Even with the solid writing, I don't think this works without the great performances of the two leads. I was impressed with both of them. Thanks for the recommendation.

I can see how you got that on the first viewing. Once she revealed how her son died and her disdain for those who did the ritual, didn't he even ask her if she harbored ill will toward him by proxy? I don't think it was ever about him though. To address your second question, I think she was fully committed to seeking revenge on the specific people who kidnapped her son. It isn't until she starts to get closer to her guardian angel that she realizes that revenge is not what she wants. If she hadn't been willing to give up her pursuit of revenge, I think she would have succumbed to the tormented in the basement, but she releases herself from it. This makes her worthy enough to be in the presence of her guardian angel and seek what will truly allow her to heal, forgiveness.

How creepy was the last few scenes leading up to the guardian reveal?

[Mike]

Complete agreement on the angel reveal. I was stunned. It came across as a true moment of otherworldly glory, and I totally bought into it.

This was my second viewing as well, and knowing the slow pacing, I was a bit hesitant, because I thought the middle parts would drag this time. Happily I was very wrong about that. I still hung on every moment, and for some reason, I was hooked in like I had never seen it before.

For some reason, my memory of the first watch was that in the end we find out that she blamed herself for her son's death and the reason she couldn't forgive is that she couldn't forgive herself. But like Kyle, I was experiencing a totally false memory. On this watching, there were hints in the middle that could have taken it that way, but didn't.

Otherwise, I completely agree with the takes given above. I thought both leads were amazing. They both played flawed and unpleasant characters, and yet I cared about what happened to them. The guy was an asshole throughout, and yet I felt for him when he died. Well acted and well directed.

[Mike]

Also, I wondered about the possibility of this being metaphorical, hallicinatory, psychosomatic, or some other thing that makes it not supernatural, but by the end of the film, I was totally on board with all of it being real.

In fact, I was on board at the halfway point of the movie when the gold flakes began raining down on her the first time. Before then I was always open to the idea that maybe she (or both of them) were inventing this, but the gold flakes did it for me. And to tie that back in the end to the idea that her angel has been there throughout was very powerful.

[Kyle]

[mimekiller]

I dug it a lot, second time viewing and it allowed me to try to pick up on some details I missed out on when I didn't know what was going on AT ALL.

This movie fits nicely in my self created horror sub-genre (people approaching the irrational in a rational way) a lot of fun that used a small space very well. Will have more thoughts later when I see more discussion.

[Tahlvin]

The one thing I didn't like from a technical perspective was the sound. They had a lot of quiet, with a few really loud parts thrown in here and there. I understand why they do it. But as someone who is deaf in one ear right now and has some hearing loss in the remaining ear, I had to either have the sound up way high to hear the quiet parts and blow out my ear drums when a loud part came on suddenly, or I had to have the closed captions on, which takes me out of the movie since I end up having to read the captions rather than watch the action.

[poorpete]

30 minutes in, when I could take or leave this film, when I knew going in this was going to be torturous... to the characters and a tiny bit to me, a character asks, ~"is it going to be horrible?" Thought that, and the affirmative response, was an apt warning. This film is not my cup of tea, though I agree all around, it was well made and acted. The cinematographer gets special props for knowing how to compose a shot. When it comes to an otherwise unfun experience, being able to appreciate the beautiful meis en scene helps assuage the negatives. Hey, just like real life!

A few theories.

I know this wasn't a "Cabin in the Woods" style distillation of the horror film genre, but I couldn't help but feel the man was a conduit of the desires of a horror film viewer. We arrive to the film drunk (on power/alcohol),we torture a woman, kill her, save her, makes her get nude for only our gratification. In the end she comforts us as we become honest that we are broken.

Or is his broken admission, "I miss my sister", a hint that he is just part of her brain. We only know one other sister in this film, and their strained relationship shows how damaged the woman in. The sister is trying to help, and probably deep down she wants their relationship like it was before she lost her son. There might be other clues, feel free. He appeared out of nowhere... that's one. Ha. I mean, otherwise he's dead of a stab wound and her DNA is all over that place (as well as fingerprints on the knife). Also the duality of him being stabbed and her losing her finger, their physical wounds all because of emotional ones.

He may not have been to blame for her child's death, but his admission that he also did black magic, which is probably what the teens who killed her son did, make him a target for vengeance.

[Kyle]

[El Jefe]

[Mike]

I'm not on board with the "he was never real" theory, but if you want support for it, he screamed at her one time that she didn't actually need him and that she could do it herself.

[mimekiller]

I usually tend to lean towards "what I'm seeing is actually happening" with films because I don't find the it's a dream/the person is made up/a third of the movie is the final thought of someone dying as that interesting, in fact kind of boring but that's just my OWN personal thoughts.

[buckett]

Meant to post this earlier, but the ritual they depict is based on real folklore, and the endurance test aspects of it, the magic squares, the granting of a wish from your guardian angel, etc. etc. are based on a real manuscript.

I wasn't aware of this earlier but went down the wiki wormhole afterwards:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Abramelin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_ ... olden_Dawn

The attention to detail reminded me of The Witch, one of my recent faves, and I always think it's cool when these kind of movies do their homework.