Sadly, this film can’t be discussed without first acknowledging the premature passing of the film’s director. Marcin Wrona passed away less than a week ago. Whatever the circumstances surrounding his passing, the only thing definitive is that this man was incredibly talented and will be mourned. My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and acquaintances.
Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here from the heart of Fantastic Fest with my thoughts on Polish director Marcin Wrona’s third film, DEMON. “A day after discovering human remains in the backyard of their new home, a man begins experiencing strange visions which come to a head on his wedding night.” With a familiar synopsis you might think “Eh, I’ve seen this type of flick before… I know exactly what I’m in for. Skip!” My friend, you’d be dead wrong. DEMON is one hell of a unique film, filled with an authentic production design, stellar acting across the board, great camera work, and a story with room for interpretation.
I’ll openly admit I’m completely unfamiliar with Jewish folklore, and that worked to my advantage in this case as the movie spins a tale of possession by means of a “dybbuk,” something I’ve not seen much of when it comes to possession films. This is not your standard possession film at all; in fact it only vaguely touches upon some of the staple possession motifs, convulsions… speaking in a different language… etc… It’s a cultural reminder that not all possessions are the same. With its rich atmosphere, it utilizes its few locations incredibly well – shifting from charm to menace over the course of 94 minutes with.
Itay Tiran, the film’s lead (aka – the guy who gets possessed) is top notch. He plays a Londoner who arrives in Poland to marry his new love, a rich Polish lady played by Agnieszka Zulewska. Boom, instant culture shock, but the man seems truly into his fiancé and has an incredible optimism/charm about him. Through the marriage he and his future wife are given an old family home, a definite fixer up. Everything’s peachy until he accidently unearths a skeleton. Given I don’t do “play by play” reviews, he makes a decision on how to handle that situation and it ultimately blows up in his face the day of his wedding. What follows is a witness account of possibly the worst time to experience a ghostly encounter, while the eyes of hundreds of party guests are fixated on you.
The juxtaposition of a creepy (and slightly violent) possession hidden from party guests all having a drunken ball is beautifully crafted. “A little glimpse of suffering, and back to people having a great time…” This little dance makes up the bulk of the film, this need to keep up appearances while being afraid to accept who you are/what you have done. It’s this primary problem that shines some light on the rest of the cast and gives each character their own time to shine (seeing how they will act in such an incredible situation). Most of the characters give you many faces (there’s an actual arc to just about everyone) and watching them interact with each other, providing their opinions on the situation at hand, was actually pretty interesting.
To wrap up, this is not your standard fare possession flick. If you’re in the mood to see something you’ve already seen 100 times – then hit up Netflix. If however you’re curious about seeing a take on the whole possession thing that you might not have encountered before – this is it. Tonally I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. It’s funny, it’s scary, it’s experimental… it’s like a solid meal of a film (just without a desert). The ending kind of fades off, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing in this specific case. I enjoyed the movie and would happily spend the price of admission to check it out in theaters, though knowing going in that it’s unique and leans on a folklore I know nothing of. (It’s new to me.) So be sure to check it out, just be aware it’s “different” than what you might be expecting.
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
