There are many styles that fall into the genre of film making referred to as horror from the most viscerally physical to disturbingly psychological and everything in between. While I can appreciate many forms, the style that The King Tide falls into, is often my favourite. These are stories that make us feel uneasy less then "scared" or horrified, that explore through some sort of often fantastical metaphor, unnerving social phenomenon. They serve as warning, as catharsis, as processing of emotions. The King Tide, is the sort of story that makes us wonder and worry and perhaps reflect on so much.
This is sort of a break out film for director Sparkes who truly shines here by beautifully filming his story and finding very efficient and naturalistic ways of building backstory and moving through the plot points necessary to weave his tale. It helps that he uses the gorgeous and foreboding coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and a cast of actors who come together so completely. This is the sort of story that could have devolved into a far more farcical cult like scenario a la The Wicker Man or Midsommer but Sparkes eschews that for a far more grounded and even, dare we say, relatable setting. His community are not a group of evil acolytes, but very real feeling neighbours who disagree on how to handle what they are dealing with. And this makes it even more unnerving.
I appreciated that he didn't compromise on the ending. The final moments are very powerful and far more natural than where I worried the film would go to wrap things up more hopefully. Sparkes is a promising storyteller with another film coming right behind this one that also appears to be a very layered and complicated story. He has made a very watchable film that doesn't hand you a way to think but lets you reflect on a number of questions that might haunt you a bit after completing the film. This is why this sort of film is my preferred sort of speculative fiction.
The King Tide
Starring: Frances Fisher, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Clayne Crawford, Aden Young
Director: Christian Sparkes
Writers: Albert Shin, William Woods, Kevin Coughlin, Ryan Grassby
No comments:
Post a Comment