View Single Post
  #28932  
Old 23rd July 2014, 04:15 AM
SShaw SShaw is offline
Cultist on the Rampage
Good Trader
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Bremen
Default Fantasia Day 5: The Harvest

I'll skip day 3 and 4 for now and come back to them at some later time.

Monday at Fantasia is a relaxed affair with only two slots. I had seen all of the films playing the first slot (Thou wast mild and lovely and Cold in July) and while both are brilliant and worthy of a second viewing I took the opportunity to visit Quebec city and returned just in time for the 21:30 showing of John McNaughton's return to directing after a decade long hiatus The Harvest.

The film is the story of Maryann a young girl who following the death of her parents moves in to her grandparents isolated house. While out exploring she meets Andy a young boy of similar age who is confined to be bed by a degenerative disease that has left him paralysed. A friendship quickly develops through their shared interest in baseball, but the relationship is frowned on by Andy's parents, particularly his doctor mother, played brilliantly by Samantha Morton, who appears to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. While sneaking around the house Maryann discovers a secret that provides a fresh perspective on Andy's disease and his dysfunctional family.

Perhaps best known for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer McNaughton presents a very different, and perhaps unexpected film, with The Harvest. The film has the feeling of a fairy tale, with Morton as the wicked witch whose behaviour towards Andy and her husband starts as cold and distant but becomes increasingly cruel as she undergoes a breakdown. It's a quiet film whose growing sense of unease and dread becomes almost unbearable and towards the end there are scenes where you really want to turn your face away. Brilliant film making with a superb cast and script this was worth waiting for. Based upon this return I hope that we won't need to wait another decade for McNaughton's next film.

The Harvest will play Fright Fest and should be essential viewing for anybody who is attending.
Reply With Quote