Weekly Review -- Escape into hell

Retreat (2011) -- Talk about a vacation no one wants to take. As far as post-apocalyptic thrillers go, first time director Carl Tibbetts' Retreat is a fresh addition to the sub-genre and an effective chiller.

After a blow to their marriage, journalist Kate (Thandie Newton) and architect Martin (Cillian Murphy) decide to escape to their usual vacation spot, Scotland's Blackholme Island. Following a few mishaps, an injured and seemingly disturbed soldier named Jack (Jamie Bell) appears on the cottage grounds. When he recovers, he tells the couple that a fatal airborne disease has spread across the world and that they are the only survivors he has encountered. Without a connection to the mainland and with the man's erratic behavior taking hold, Kate and Martin cannot tell truth from lies and fear from paranoia anymore. Are they in danger from a fatal virus or is the stranger a rambling psychopath?

The joy of Retreat is that it works on several levels. It is a moving drama in the context of the isolating milieu, since Kate and Martin happen to be alone together in the midst of their crumbling relationship, effectively the elephant in the room. As a thriller, it takes pride in its restrictive ambiance and extremely suspicious comportment of the apparent antagonist. As a horror film, it works because of one question it poses at the beginning: What is reality? Neither Kate nor Martin is in a position to check if Jack is telling the truth and neither of them is in a position to believe that he is being dishonest. Once fear sets in, there is no way to separate reality from imagination. Tibbetts appears to be taking a page out of Roman Polanski's playbook, using paranoia as the ultimate psychological weapon and, essentially, another character. Thrown into a chaos of tension and having to fight for survival, the couple is blindsided and unprepared for anything that lies ahead. There is no obvious way out, a predicament that leads the audience to question all possibilities and that makes the film a unique examination of human nature.

**HUGE SPOILERS (please highlight to read)**

The things that irked me were few and far between, but they still created gaps in the story's logic. How come that, in the era of Twitter and cell phones and texting through the roof, Kate and Martin have absolutely no devices to help them out? There is no journalist without a Blackberry, iPhone or another digital gizmo nowadays and there is no journalist that would leave it behind when away on vacation. I also find it hard to believe that Kate's laptop would not be connected to the Internet, even if she strictly used it for writing. If it was, has she actually managed to resist the desire to go on-line, particularly working in her profession?

**END OF SPOILERS**  

The acting is what gives the film its human value. Murphy is affecting as a regular Joe who suddenly has to dig deep within himself and find stamina he never knew he possessed. Newton is terrific as a wife attempting to mend a severed connection to her husband while fending off unexpected peril. Bell is a revelation as a rather psychotic, anti-social character who turns two everyday people's lives upside down. There is a dark, somber energy among the three actors; their chemistry is palpable and one of the film's strongest elements.

Retreat is a compelling first feature that renders paranoia much too intimate for comfort and does so with aplomb. By bringing the end-of-the-world scenario closer to home, the film shows its more sinister side, one that toys with the characters' sanity and the viewer's perspective of existence. Ultimately, for an individual, the catastrophe does not revolve around the world. It revolves around their world, around the people and places that mean everything to them and the fact that our way of life is an indispensable aspect of our identity. 

8/10

Weekly Review -- Cursed with a gift

Chronicle (2012) -- With great power comes great responsibility, a wise person told a budding superhero once. Oh, how right they were. Might without control is anarchy, and we have the wildly original Chronicle to prove it.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Three high school pals -- outcast Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his sensible cousin Matt (Alex Russell) and cocky and popular Steve (Michael B. Jordan) -- discover a mysterious buried object at a party and gain superpowers as a consequence. Capable of feats ranging from telekinesis to flying, the boys have fun with their new abilities, which eventually manage to divide them and put their friendship to the test...

The one question that did not leave my thoughts for the duration of the film was: what if this kind of power existed and happened to fall into the wrong hands? Humans find ways to abuse any privilege, skill and technology; it is practically a tradition. I sympathize with Andrew's plight and like the idea of an introspective teenager becoming more assertive through the use of otherworldly talents but, as we proceed, his antihero status stalls and dissolves. Ultimately, I did not think that his breakdown was provoked by his ordeals; rather, I saw it as a result of his perceived superiority and perhaps some mental health issues. Furthermore, I did not know how exactly the writers had wanted us to read this development to begin with. This is where the film's ambiguity overshadows its brilliance. Utilizing a story about three mischievous teenagers in extraordinary circumstances, filmmakers Josh Trank and Max Landis make us think about the repercussions of problems such as bullying and peer pressure, but lose themselves in the action potential of it all. Toward the end, the story relinquishes what should logically have been its trajectory and turns into an ultra-explosive exhibitionist showdown, exciting as these scenes are. Sure, Andrew was pushed from various sides into exploiting more and more of his power and he was definitely fed up with his life but, in the end, he chose to indulge. Why? Because he could. The chilling spider torture and the car crunching sequences also come to mind. Benevolence is sorely missed here.

On another note, the narrative benefits greatly from the raw and somber found-footage style. It is the perfect way to tell this tale of isolation and despair, peppered by instances of sheer exhilaration. Any other cinematic technique would have cheapened the effect of the unique powers interweaving with the boys' puberty struggles and family disputes. It particularly proves innovative in the discovery scene -- the shaky camera adds to the mystery of a possible alien artifact -- and most of the telekinesis scenes. The final image is heartbreaking yet optimistic, opening the door for a welcome sequel.

The young cast is outstanding. DeHaan successfully captures Andrew's anguish, using subtle facial expressions and introverted body language. Jordan is a picture of naive vulnerability shining through a facade of arrogance, while Russell is the reliable voice of reason. A nice addition to the cast is character actor Michael Kelly, who radiates evil and spite as Andrew's abusive father. 

Chronicle is brainy science fiction that taps into a refreshing authenticity with its portrayals of teenage boys' existence. If you like clever storytelling, this film is for you. Though its message occasionally loses its way, the objective is clear: reclaiming preternatural powers from the fantasy genre and returning them to humanity, namely outcasts that need them the most.    

8/10