I am a big fan of Babak's previous film 'Under the Shadow', which was a perfect summation of what a great supernatural film can be, with investment in the characters, overall story arc and satisfying, yet open-ended ending. So, when attending Sundance Film Festival 2019 and saw his next film 'Wounds' on the list, naturally I jumped at the chance to see it.
This movie had the right mix of tension built up between the characters from the very first scene and delivered an astoundingly eerie and ominous presence throughout the film as weird events transpired. Armie Hammer's performance and reaction to everything occurring to him throughout the sequence of strange events in the film was absolutely phenomenal and really captivated my attention. However, where this film fell flat was in the story arc and ending. By the ending, you realize that nothing was explained throughout the film and you can't help but have a ton of questions only to be left without any answers. What did the original owners of the phone do that caused the chaos that spiraled out of control in the entire film? Was Armie Hammer's character possessed? If so, by what and how? What was the image that his girlfriend was compelled to stare at for hours on end on her computer screen? This left me as the viewer feeling short changed and upset at what could have been a phenomenal film.
I know that this film was based on a book called The Visible Filth that I have not yet read, but hopefully there might be answers to some of these questions in there that the movie did not provide.
Overall, this film had massive potential that was utterly wasted with an unsatisfying and in-conclusive ending. I am hoping this is just part 1 with a 2nd movie to be released that can provide some guidance into the confusion that I just watched.
This movie had the right mix of tension built up between the characters from the very first scene and delivered an astoundingly eerie and ominous presence throughout the film as weird events transpired. Armie Hammer's performance and reaction to everything occurring to him throughout the sequence of strange events in the film was absolutely phenomenal and really captivated my attention. However, where this film fell flat was in the story arc and ending. By the ending, you realize that nothing was explained throughout the film and you can't help but have a ton of questions only to be left without any answers. What did the original owners of the phone do that caused the chaos that spiraled out of control in the entire film? Was Armie Hammer's character possessed? If so, by what and how? What was the image that his girlfriend was compelled to stare at for hours on end on her computer screen? This left me as the viewer feeling short changed and upset at what could have been a phenomenal film.
I know that this film was based on a book called The Visible Filth that I have not yet read, but hopefully there might be answers to some of these questions in there that the movie did not provide.
Overall, this film had massive potential that was utterly wasted with an unsatisfying and in-conclusive ending. I am hoping this is just part 1 with a 2nd movie to be released that can provide some guidance into the confusion that I just watched.