The Transfiguration
I’m surprised by how endeared I was to the major characters in this film considering how dry, depressed, and robotic most of their dialogue is. It’s one of those types of indie films where they want the audience to feel melancholic, so expressiveness has to be sacrificed. Separately, on their own merits, I don’t think I would care about any of these characters, but I like their relationships and the growth of these relationships, and what would know? The transforming power of relationships is what the movie is about. For me personally, the main character’s brother, Lewis, is the character that stood out. Mostly, I didn’t expect anything of him, but as the movie continues he showed a surprising amount of brotherly love/protectiveness, and simply proved to be dealing with his own problems. They’re not as urgent as thinking you’re a vampire, but they aren’t minor. I don’t love the way the main character, Milo, spends so much time talking about horror movies. It feels like the writers trying to appeal to its core audience, which is fine, but it’s done in a way that smells desperate. I don’t love the super generic thugs that present themselves as the opposing force in this movie. Whether I liked the characters or not, everyone in this film puts forth a good performance. The pacing is fine. For a movie that is a slow paced character piece, it didn’t feel drawn out or like it was going on forever. What helps oil the gears here is the suspense that stems from the fact that Milo is a sick individual, and the movie never makes Milo come off as better than he is. His problems are never seen as a charming quirk. He’s a dangerous man, they don’t shy from it. They also don’t highlight it so much that your expectations for his actions are high. They show you what he does, and kind of leave you to decide how dangerous or redeemable he might be. So, when they introduce the character of Sophie who finds herself attracted to Milo despite/because of his sickness, you’re left to ponder how all this is going to pan out. That said, were there one too many moments of drawn out silence in the middle of conversations? Absolutely. Visually the movie doesn’t take many artistic liberties. It’s trying to depict realism, and filth. There is a whole scene in this movie where I couldn’t see a thing, though. It’s somewhat interesting because this is the only time a score is used in the movie. I enjoyed it because it gave me something to focus on in the blinding darkness, but given how much this film is shooting for realism, I think maybe it would have benefited from the consistency of not have the score. It comes off as a bit insecure for music to suddenly show up to strum up suspense after they specifically avoid such a thing through out the rest of the movie. The film isn’t particularly gory. There is blood. It’s good. There is one instance of the practical effects one might expect from a horror movie, which is not just surprising, but surprisingly well done. I think it has some flaws, but I think it also accomplished its goals. When it is all said and done, it made me go back and think about the title of this movie, its meaning, and whether or not it was accomplished here. I think the characters and relationships in this movie were worth contemplating after the movie was over. It’s not a movie I can suggest because it’s not a movie that’s going to be for everyone, I don’t think it is a must see movie either, but for people that like the slow paced character-based movies out there and might be interested in one with a horror slant, this one is worth watching.









