Seeking Distribution: Us Sinners (part 1)
This episode of Seeking Distribution will be a two-parter. The first will be my review of the movie Us Sinners, the second part will be my attempt at an interview with the film’s director. Please to enjoy!
Us Sinners is, apparently, a George Snow DV (digital video). At first I thought that this was a movie made by a sick weirdo, but, as it trudged forward, it became clear that it is just a really crap version of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
The problems that I have with this movie almost exclusively lie in the script. There is nothing to keep the movie interesting throughout because there is no story. I discovered while watching this move that without a character to provide balance, the audience is simply left to watch the misadventures of a completely unlikable character. It is as if it were written by someone who fast forwarded to all of the “Buffalo Bill” scenes in The Silence of the Lambs.
This is not to say that the movie Henry was about a guy that I would hang out with, but that movie had a character that provided the previously mentioned balance. Without someone for the audience to relate to, the movie becomes an excuse to watch softcore rape scenes where women have foreign objeects (like used maxi pads) shoved in their mouths while they are molested by a man who turns to show his dirty underwear to the camera. Twice.
My or anyone’s natural response to watching fictionalized rape or incest is, usually, to cringe. To include these things in a movie and call it horror is a misconception because of how cheap a scare it is. Even to the point of it being a scare, it is not exactly utilizing suspense or any other film techniques involved in creating terror to make an audience member tense. What it is, really, is the equivalent of inserting a clip of a person deffocating on another person to generate a natural and predictable response: shock. Shock is cheap and morally offensive, good horror is patient and psychologically offensive.
From here, as the movie has been distilled down into the shock category, it all becomes a mater of taste. When you are watching a movie, do you generally enjoy a feeling of uncomfortable boredom? I don’t.
Strangely enough, though, this movie had great audio work, save for the one horrible song played throughout the entire movie.
I did not enjoy myself.
Next week I am going to give George Snow a chance to defend his movie, because I feel like it would be useful to see what kind of person a movie like this actually comes from. So until then, kids, always remember:
If you would like your film to be a part of the Microbudget Films series, contact us at ptkruz@jojevis.com. No submissions ignored!
Howdy:
We’ll go over everything in the interview. But, I just want to correct one thing. There is only one rape scene, which can’t even technically be called a rape scene (the one you mentioned). The rape(s) comes from your sick weirdo mind