A Review of ‘Death’: A mildly intriguing but ultimately confused attempt at surreal horror
A suicidal woman recalls her troubled association with three friends in a surrealistic daze.
‘Death’: A mildly intriguing but ultimately confused attempt at surreal horror
Cast: Marigold Pazar, Lauren Johnson, David Hecimovic, Oliver James Damian
Critic’s Rating: 2 Stars out of 5
Director: Anmol Mishra
Duration: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Genre: Horror, Drama
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
A suicidal woman recalls her troubled association with three friends in a surrealistic daze.
Review:
The horror genre has a decidedly offbeat but ultimately disappointing new entrant by way of Death. To call this movie weird and off-putting is an understatement. The disoriented and surrealistic narrative has apparently been designed to reflect its quartet of characters’ inebriated, drugged and paranoid states of mind. But while this strange flick is obviously inspired by David Lynch’s movies, it cannot decide whether it wants to be a tribute to the celebrated filmmaker or pose as a parody of his works. The weird characters, psychedelic imagery, non-linear storyline, illogical dreamlike sequences, death motifs and odd dialogue don’t add up to a very engaging viewing experience here. Even the occasional gore, brief nudity and drug use do little to enthuse its target audience. But if a scary stoner flick is your cup of tea, Death makes for a mild stimulant.
The film opens with Sabrina (Marigold Pazar), a young woman lying in a bathtub and apparently dying from a slashed wrist as she contemplates the accidental death of a man in her kitchen. The suicidal lady’s thoughts then flashback to when she was listening to operatic music on the radio while engaged in some paper craft... before worrisome sounds plunge her into tremendous fear and distress. The film switches to glimpses of happy times with her Italian fiancé Romeo (David Hecimovic). We are then introduced to Sabrina and Romeo’s hallucinating pal Maza(Oliver James Damian) who is at the same house along with his “girlfriend” Wendy (Lauren Johnson). It turns out that the animated Wendy is an an old friend of Sabrina’s.
The four get to chatting amongst themselves when Wendy’s history with Sabrina is revealed, as is her “inspiration” behind Maza’s attempt at writing. In Maza’s creative space – his room – Wendy has a fantastic story to tell about a surf board showpiece, which Sabrina promptly rubbishes. What follows is a sexy Mexican music-fuelled dance sequence; an argument over cooking a fish; one character taking another in out of the cold; a funny discussion about chicken and egg; a bizarre search for a parked car, an automobile accident which could be real or imagined, and the transposing of surrealistic embellishments over earlier scenes! The efficacy of this disorientation is hit-and-miss at best, causing the audience’s interest to waver considerably. And the conclusion is open to debate... if the viewers are still paying attention by then.
Owing to the movie’s perennial sense of confusion and shifting mood, it is unclear what writer-director-editor Anmol Mishra is aiming for. However, this obfuscation perhaps contributes to the film’s modest appeal and occasionally works as a nod to Lynchian themes and visuals. Mishra’s attempt at generating a sense of enigma is enhanced with wayward camerawork, special effects and editing. He also includes such random items as small crafted boxes, a cigarette holder, a chair, a dead fish, a cleaver, a band-aid, an unlit cigar, a Mexican hat and Halloween get-ups – all to apparently serve as dream symbolism. But are these mysterious things to be interpreted? Plus, instances of incoherent dialogue and scenes of inactivity are frustrating.
In conclusion, this film might leave you wondering if you accidentally missed a secret memo explaining what’s going on. It dances on the edge of confusion, leaving you both intrigued and slightly exasperated—like trying to solve a riddle that’s missing the punchline.