Milla Jojovich might just be the ultimate in metaphorical Marmite. People either love her backlog, or hate it. Personally, I have to opt for the latter, with turkeys such as the abysmal Ultraviolet (2006), the Resident Evil trilogy (2002-2007) and Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991) on her CV. However, one must note that she does occasionally get it right, with star turns in films such as The Fifth Element (1998), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) and Zoolander (2001).
Thankfully for all of us, Ms. Jojovich has got it right this time; her latest offering a chilling and disturbing account of one woman’s determination to uncover the ugly truth in a remote Alaskan town – namely The Fourth Kind (2009).
Jojovich plays Dr Abbey Tyler, a psychologist who quickly discovers that many of her patients are experiencing the same hallucination – an owl at their window at night, followed by a presence in the room and fear beyond measure. When these patients begin to exhibit symptoms of extreme mental instability, Dr Tyler’s credibility comes into question, especially since her husband was killed mysteriously as he slept beside her a few years earlier. However, when Dr Tyler is regressed by her close friend Abel (the always-watchable Elias Koteas), it becomes apparent that the owl may have paid her a visit or two also…
This film’s strength lies in its unique format – an ingenious use of split screen to depict not only the dramatized action, but also to simultaneously display what director, Olatunde Osunsanmi, claims to be “real footage” of the therapy sessions on which the film’s narrative is based. In a move not often seen in cinema, Jojovich herself announces at the beginning that she will be playing the role of Dr Tyler and warns that some may find the “actual” footage disturbing; this creates a theatrical, almost Brechtian experience for the audience – one which creates distance between you and the film, and causes you to buy into the validity of the footage from the offset. Look for the scene in which a desperate Tommy (Corey Johnson) holds his wife and children at gunpoint, whilst “real” footage playing adjacent to the action shows the supposed “actual” event unfold, as caught on the cameras of police cars parked outside the family’s home; simply stunning.
And so, we are drawn into an inner conflict – one which has us wondering exactly how “real” this footage actually is. In addition to this, the film is laced with “real” audio – panicked 911 calls to the local Sheriff’s office, for example – the most spine-tingling of which is the voice of the intruder, who speaks in an ancient Sumarian dialect, much to the fascination of Dr Awolowa Odusami (Hakeem Kae Kazeem), an expert called in to assist.
Fans of horror and science-fiction alike will be drawn to this truly original effort, which, by all accounts, was made on a shoe-string budget was lots of love and tender care. It is my belief that the “real” footage is the product of a very clever, Blair Witch-esque viral campaign, set up as far back as August on the internet to convince potential viewers of this picture that what they are about to witness is true. If this is the case, Olatunde Osunsanmi is a very shrewd filmmaker indeed, placing himself in the same illustrious category as the likes of M. Night Shyamalan and JJ Abrams.
This piece builds tension and toys with convention in ways not seen in cinema for a long, long time. Osunsanmi plays into the audience’s fascination with reality television and asks us all to question how much of what we see we can believe. Real or not, this film is executed with a degree of sheer perfection, and achieves the desired effect – that of pure terror.
Recommended to all who are brave enough to take a look.
Emma Champion
Image sourced at:
http://www.starmoviesasia.tv/App_Files/Microsites/Main/1096.jpg
Thank you so much, great job! Just the thing I needed to get.