Scandinavian independent filmmakers are like tenors: you can think of a couple that you know are good by proxy, or you just don’t know any other ones, so you stick to your go-to names (which for me, is usually the troupe of Dogme 95). Now, however, I (and now you) have Antonio Tublen to add to our arsenals! Everybody wins! Huzzah!
LFO is about a down-and-out, mentally unstable man, who's a bit of a loser. In his basement of synthesizers and gizmos, he realises he can hypnotise people using a new sound frequency he stumbles upon, and with new neighbours turning up he has himself a perfect set of guinea pigs.
Now, on first glimpse, it may seem to some that LFO isn’t for everybody, and sure, it probably isn’t, but man oh man do I urge you to give this dark comedy a whirl because it really didn’t disappoint.
Though this film seems somewhat silly (and it is), there is quite a deep and touching meaning behind it all that can be picked up on in even the earliest scenes, and though that is the driving narrative, it doesn’t steer away or dull down the fun (and somewhat morbid) storyline either that comes with it.
Sure, this is no cinematic masterpiece as far as technicality is concerned. It certainly hasn’t picked up an abundance of awards and shit, but for me that’s what makes this film absolute class. It’s so minimalist and modest that all can be forgiven where shoe-string budgets and a tiny cast/crew are concerned.
Of course, like most films, this one isn’t without it’s flaws (unlike Predator which is perfect in every single way), by serving us up a couple of plot holes here and there and what have you, but given the “quality” and all-round cheekiness of the film, it’s easy to forgive and forget and just move on from it. Sure, the acting isn’t that great either, and the direction is somewhat sub-par at best, but for this sort of style of indie single-set location film, all it needs (and provides) is a few actors in a room with a camera pointed at them as they drive our story forward and get up to their wacky endeavours for us to chuckle at, whilst also simultaneously making us feel our feelings.
With that said, for me, this is an absolute knockout from start to finish. It’s hilarious, original and just the right amount of dark. It’s quirky, deep, and doesn’t try to take on too much by trying to be more than it is, and it just is what it is.
Aaron's Spoiler-Free Rating: A film that’s as fun as it is cheap. – 8.5/10
Aaron James Waters is a best-selling Pulp Fiction writer who has written more books than he's actually read.
He's also the rotten apple of the group who thinks this whole Star Wars thing needs to hurry up and die already.
You can find Aaron's debut novel on Amazon!
No comments:
Post a Comment