Spring (2014)
A monster romance movie. Starts off with a down-to-earth backpacking tourist film, not unlike the movie Afflicted, only with a less boisterous protagonist. But when he meets a mysterious lady in Italy, that mystery becomes more and more interesting the more it unfolds.
I found as I watched that I was speculating whether the girl was a vampire or a werewolf, but in the end this is more focussed on characters than on monster mythology. But I found the story really sweet.
And in the end it is whether you find the romance sweet or not that will decide whether you really enjoy this film. The mythology of the monster isn't central enough to the story to be satisfying otherwise.
Thankfully, as with these directors' last film, Resolution, I got caught up with the characters and loved it. (I wasn't quite so keen on the British tourists our protagonist meets up with, but they were alright.)
I've heard that this is like Before Sunset with monsters. I've not been able to bring myself to check out any of the Before series, but I think I'd prefer it with monsters.
Spring is a beautiful, interesting, character-driven film that is equal parts monster movie and romance in a way that shouldn't work as wonderfully as it does.
A+
Bug (2006)
There's a (relatively short) time gap around half way through the film where I find the developments a little hard to accept. But that is pretty much my only complaint about this bizarre film.
The relationships between the characters at the start is a little confusing, so perhaps that's another problem. As we begin, Ashley Judd is hanging out with a girlfriend. The two have a very familiar kiss suggesting that they are sleeping together, but Ashley Judd is worried about her possessive ex-boyfriend who is due to be released from prison. But her casual girlfriend has brought around a friend who she clearly finds attractive, played by Michael Shannon.
In spite of some scepticism, Judd finds herself intrigued by Shannon's ideas on how to live and his knowledge of insects.
We then flash forward and her relationship with Michael Shannon has intensified. The craziness that unfolds is mostly sold by the performances and it felt to me like Shannon was doing the majority of the legwork, though the chemistry between the lead actors is also vital.
What with Bug and Killer Joe, it's clear that Friedkin is a master of intense drama (and frankly it's the intense drama in the non-supernatural parts of The Exorcist which I liked most in that movie too). In Bug, the atmosphere is particularly thick.
Despite a fairly slow start Bug quickly escalates to an utterly bonkers character driven claustrophobic set piece. Totally nuts, yet unforgettable.
A+
