REVIEW: by Peter Nichols | C+
Now, I did get the impression that once we moved into the main building, I was already in a dream. So, here we are, in Amy’s dream world, then I began to ask the question, “Will it be a nice dream or will it be a nightmare”. The score had given me a clue, so did the grading of the film. But, I still couldn’t decide it this film was horror or a psychological thriller.
I may have watched ‘Defarious’ with my eyes shut and I would still have come away with a thrilling film experience, and I would also be able to tell the genre of film; so I thought the score for the film was quite ambitious. Don’t get me wrong, it did give the film the breadth it required, and it may have felt a little larger than it, inside a few seconds and at separate times apart). As an indie filmmaker, I get the impulse, you invested more in the score.
I am a sticker for old school cinematography, so, I shared a few things with your cinematographer, I liked the visual outlook of the film. It gave space for performance, it was symmetric, and it easily pointed to the main character quite well. It did a good job of introducing the antagonism and the conflict. When it reached its climax, it upgraded Defarious to a horror movie. The final scene felt raw, unhidden and gory.
I expected the climax to employ a shortened screen-time and to hide (between medium, close up shots) the antagonist’s attack, it would have heightened the suspense more. I particularly loved, the sound mixing, the collaboration and the simplicity of the story. Defarious is an enjoyable experience.
Final Grade C+
