Sator

This is such a fascinating film! A slow-burn and haunting minimalist horror dripping with atmosphere and dread. A horror film beside _Caveat_ that actually spooked me and makes my skin crawl. And probably the most beautiful-looking horror film that came out this year. I didn't expect to like this one. Everything from the setting, to how it's filmed, to the performances help to create some fantastic tension. It makes perfect use of the dark to unsettle the viewers. I like how there's confusion between states of reality and what seems to be not real moments in here. The mix of black and white footage with color footage make me constantly feeling uneasy. With minimal dialogue, you get a sense of horror and dread every time it goes silent. It also manages to capture the feeling of isolation. I admit the narrative can be a bit confusing at times but it gives us enough bits to follow and it's very effective nonetheless. Mad respect to Jordan Graham who took his 7 years to complete this film and did literally everything behind the scenes!

This is not so much a movie as it is an exploratory piece of cinematography. If you know this going in, I think you will enjoy it more. This is clearly a passion project for the director, so you are not going to get a lot of plot or typical entertainment here. The shots are beautiful, the sound is haunting, and the creature design is amazing. Everything seems very dreamy and unsettling. The biggest con is that it simply goes on way too long. Slow burns are excellent when done well, but this one tends to descend into boredom at times. This is especially true when the film relies on such a small cast, most of them amateurs. There's just not enough to stretch things out for 85 minutes.