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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Amer

12:31 PM / Cinema / 2 Comments

A couple of weeks back, Daniel Bird mentioned to me a film called Amer, described in some circles as a "neo-giallo", in reference to the Italian thrillers that I so diligently collect and which are the subject of my ongoing PhD thesis. Now, I liked Dario Argento's most recent film, Giallo, more than most (Argento himself included, seemingly), but it would be fair to say that the title was incredibly misleading. Not only did it lack one of the (in my mind) most important traits of the giallo - the whodunit - it also had little in common stylistically with the baroque slashers of the 70s from which it took its name.

Amer, by Belgian filmmakers Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, would appear to correct one of these oversights. While seemingly not a giallo in a narrative sense, at least judging by the reviews I've read, by all accounts it captures with surprising accuracy the look and feel of these films. This extends to the poster, a beautiful and striking piece of work by Gille Vranckx:

A teaser trailer has been made available on YouTube, and although it only runs for twenty-six seconds and consists of a solitary shot, it is already firmly burned into my mind. Writers/directors Cattet and Forzani appear to have perfectly captured that uneasy balance between "disturbing" and "seductive" that imbued many of the best gialli.

It's not often that I get so hyped up over a film I haven't actually seen yet - and over little more than a poster and a single shot - but I'm now awaiting Amer with great anticipation. I hope it's not long before a DVD (or better still, a BD) release surfaces.

More information can be found at Twitch and Dark Discussion.

2 Comments

 
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