‘Wade in the Water’ is an indie drama/black comedy starring Tom E. Nicholson simply known as “our man”, a loner who works from home and has anger management issues that he takes out on everyone around him. After receiving a package in his PO box by mistake, one that holds dark secrets that can’t help but bring back his childhood trauma, he decides to take matters into his own hands that leads to an interesting journey of moral ambiguity and complex issues that most filmmakers wouldn’t dare to touch. It’s hard to talk about without spoiling what happens, but I will say that the themes of the film are dark with being gratuitously so. It felt personal, so it didn’t (to me, at least) seem to be exploiting the painful experiences this character has been through that real people unfortunately also go through.  
    
After making a heavy and life-altering decision to act upon what he’s found, Our Man develops an unlikely friendship with Tilly (Danika Golombek), who knows about what he’s done and wants to dig deeper into the reasons behind it for closure. Despite their interactions not beginning until later on in the film, the impact that they have on one another is well earned nonetheless; their relationship is complicated, not black and white by any means, as they both try to grapple with the philosophical and moral implications of the vigilante justice Our Man decided to dish out. It brings up complicated issues surrounding forgiveness, justice, and revenge. It’s interesting that audiences for this film may all stand very differently on these issues and therefore side more with one of the protagonists than the other – but again, like their relationship, things don’t appear to be black and white. It will make you question your previous opinions about what justice is and who should have the right to decide what it means. Both Nicholson and Golombek do a great job at portraying two people who are equally as irresolute as the other about what has happened, becoming more torn about their viewpoints as they listen to each other. 

Not knowing much about the plot going into the film was ideal; watching it unfold into a dark, thoughtful story was unexpected in the best way, so I was very pleasantly surprised. The comedic moments worked well with the tragic and serious moments, offering a piece of hope in what feels like a story that can in no way end well. It’s not over-the-top humour and is more on the deadpan side of things, so it isn’t out of place as it easily could be in a narrative about a topic as serious as it is. Overall, I would definitely encourage people to watch ‘Wade in the Water’ if you enjoy thought-provoking black comedies. The narrative structure and pace might not be conventional, but it’s interesting and works really well.

​

‘The Dead Don’t Die’ boasts an A-list cast including Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Chloë Sevigny as small-town cops Cliff, Ronnie and Mindy who realise that Centerville is under the threat of zombies as a result of polar fracking causing the earth to spin off its axis. That’s basically the entire plot summed up, and it’s the most that can be said without spoiling it, so I don’t know how I managed to enjoy the film as much as I did when there’s little to no point in the story. It also includes subplots of juvenile delinquents Stella (Maya Delmont), Olivia (Taliyah Whitaker) and Geronimo (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) trying to survive while stuck in a detention centre and Selena Gomez on a road trip through the town with her friends, but there are points where these are completely forgotten about and aren’t necessary as they don’t really add anything to the film.

The beginning takes some time to get going – a lot of time is spent making sure you know that “this is not going to end well”, and that it’s very weird that it’s eight o’clock at night but it’s still not dark. While there’s some humour to be found in the repetition as it adds to the feeling that something’s really not right beyond what you already know about the story, it can go on a bit too long at times. The most enjoyable aspect of the film is without a doubt the cast, who bring charisma to their roles and who clearly aren’t afraid to have fun and be a part of something as ridiculous as this. Having only previously seen Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, I was more than happy to see a comedic and self-aware side of him. Driver is one of the highlights of the film for me, as well as Zelda (Tilda Swinton) who is hilariously strange and out of place as a Scottish mortician armed with a samurai sword. 

Overall, this film will definitely be a divisive one as it does have its flaws. It treads the line between being funny and fourth wall breaking to the point where it will annoy some people, but I’m on the side that found it fun and entertaining once it gets past cementing the initial concept of the film into your mind. If you want to see Adam Driver and Bill Murray in a buddy cop scenario or like weird, nonsensical plot twists then this could be the one for you. Good luck getting the titular song by Sturgill Simpson out of your head though, because it gets played a million times throughout and is still catchy and strangely soothing as hell.

The Hole in the Ground’ is the feature film debut from Irish writer/director Lee Cronin about single mother Sarah (Seána Kerslake), who is trying to build a new life with her son Chris (James Quinn Markey) in a fixer-upper house near a forest with a big sinkhole that for some reason, no one seems to be at all concerned about despite the health and safety risk it poses. Although the marketing of the film pushes it as the next ‘Hereditary’ (2018), it seems to have more in common with ‘The Babadook’ (2014).

It does tick a lot of the horror film clichés with the blaring ominous string music, slamming doors and creaky floorboards, but gradually becomes eerier because of the paranoia Sarah is feeling as she comes to believe that her son has been body-snatched when she notices subtle changes in his behaviour. There is a lingering uncertainty throughout that she could be mentally ill, except I couldn’t help but trust her instinct anyway which made it all the more unsettling as she’s unable to get anyone on her side. Kerslake is a likeable protagonist and manages to balance a playfulness with sincerity and her growing fears. Markey also gives a good performance and doesn’t overstate the changes in his character. 

However, the film sometimes feels slow paced and I was hoping another element was going to come into play in the narrative; it’s heavily implied that Sarah has comes out of an abusive relationship with Chris’s father and that she’s moved to get away from him. It seemed like this could have been a bigger part of the story that was never fulfilled, although it could be argued that Chris’s behaviour – acting like an angel before turning aggressive – mirrors that of abusive relationships, thereby making history repeat itself for Sarah.

Overall, although it’s sometimes slow paced, I would recommend ‘The Hole in the Ground’ as I feel that the third act makes it worth the patience. Despite subscribing to a lot of horror movie gimmicks, there’s a lot to like in it from the actors to the earthy colour palette. There was a scene near the end involving claustrophobic tunnels that has got to be enough to put anyone over the edge and genuinely made me feel panicked. The film also gets extra points for not going for an obvious “plot twist” that would have been incredibly tempting and cheap, but instead opting to show the aftermath of Sarah’s traumatic experience. 

​

‘Dolls’ is a horror film about Robert (Thomas Downey), an alcoholic children’s book author – and we know this because he must have had at least ten drinks in the first ten minutes - who is trying to get back on his feet by starting a new book in his recently deceased mother’s house. He is joined by his rebellious teenage daughter Sammey (Trinity Thompson), who is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s decision to separate from Robert. The inspiration for Robert’s new book comes from three creepy dolls they found in the attic, but Sammey starts to notice strange things happening while her back is turned. 

The one positive to take away from the film is that considering that it’s a small budget production, it manages to get a decent cast together. In the world of mega low-budget films where it’s usually necessary for filmmakers to use their friends with little to no experience in acting, it can be a make or break. Fortunately, the actors did a good job in the film for what it was (even managing to bag Dee Wallace as Margaret, the obligatory crazy lady who warns of the horrors to come). Even Thompson did a decent job, and she doesn’t have any acting credits previous to this. However, it’s the writing of the film that lets it down. The pace is far too slow, leaving you waiting for the next scary thing or just anything to happen (and not in a way that builds tension). It’s difficult to find things to say about the film because so little seems to happen beyond the dolls not being where Sammey last left them. It’s understandable that perhaps due to budget constrictions it wasn’t possible to show the dolls doing too much (I wasn’t exactly going in expecting ‘Child’s Play’ level puppetry), but even having them play more mind games would have made them seem more threatening. They do look rather disturbing, however, so it gets a few extra points for that.

Overall, I enjoyed the actors in the film and although Dee Wallace wasn’t a huge part of it, her appearances do make the scenes she’s in more effective. The design of the dolls was also good, and they do manage to look quite creepy. Unfortunately, it’s dragged down by the story and horror being too empty which makes it feel longer than it actually is. The pacing is a big issue at the start of the film, as it takes too long to get to the action but also doesn’t use this time to effectively build any tension. Although simplistic films aren’t always a bad thing, it’s a big problem for ‘Dolls’. 

​