They say that a man should not be held accountable for the sins of his father. That may be true in most cases, but sometimes the sins of the father follow the son. Or rather, sometimes the son inherits the father’s demons. At least that’s the idea in writer/director David Kabler’s WANDERLOST.

The film follows several divergent storylines that slowly draw together. A graffiti artist whose images are disturbing and horrific; a young woman, an artist of a different sort herself; and a drifter, hopping from train to train as he seeks to escape his own violent past.

The film mostly follows the drifter, Jacob (Mitch Rumfelt). He is a troubled man who seeks refuge where ever he can, but who doesn’t stop running. It is through flashbacks that the viewer begins to understand who he really is and why he is running. Jacob’s father had his own demon, literally locked inside of him. He had to kill to satisfy the monster within and it seemed that the death had to not just spill blood, but cause grief and sorrow as well. He gave Jacob a puppy to keep and raise, and then when the boy had grown attached to it, he took it from Jacob and killed it in a violent ritual right before the boy’s horrified eyes.

As Jacob grew, the seeds of hatred his father had planted that day grew, and when he was old enough and strong enough, the boy slew his father with the same ritual knife the man had used on his dog years before. This act of violence is what sets Jacob on his wandering course, whether looking for escape or redemption it’s hard to say. But where he goes, violence seems to follow.

Jacob’s path crosses that of an old caretaker at a junkyard. The man, though blind, sees more than most as he is a shaman, a holy man whose dog is more than just a companion; it is a spirit guide and protector to him. Jacob slays the dog with the knife that now seems to symbolize the curse of violence on his soul and flees. He returns to his father’s grave where he sees Zoe (Aubrey Adams) paying respects to her own father’s memory with a collage of photos and images showing her love for him.

Perhaps it is her obvious love for her father or perhaps Jacob senses something else in her, something good and decent. Either way, he is drawn to follow her and begin his road to either salvation or consumption by the demonic forces within him. Will he seek love with her or will he kill her to satiate the demon? As he moves towards his ultimate end, the shaman and his spirit guide (truly a spirit now) are there watching, waiting to see which way Jacob will turn - to the light or the dark.

WANDERLOST is more like the X-FILES than the EXORCIST. Although the story centers around supernatural forces of good and evil, they are seldom seen and not as overt as one might expect. That doesn’t lessen the film’s effect; in fact it enhances it as we see Jacob’s actions more as a series of choices than as a mindless act compelled upon him by an evil force. That is not to say that he isn’t driven by his demon, but in the end it does seem to be Jacob’s decisions that lead to the path he follows.

The film is set in a stark world of urban decay and Kabler uses the setting, along with the disturbing images painted by the graffiti artist, to create a bleak landscape where Jacob’s evil actions seem almost at home. When Zoe creates her art, Kabler changes the impression from bleakness to warmth. Her apartment is lit as much by soft candles as electric light and the art she makes is colorful and filled with obvious love. This contrasts with Jacob’s colder, less human reality, and helps the view understand why he’s drawn to her like a moth to the flame. In fact the film’s cinematography works on many levels to not just show the story, but to set the mood and tone for the scenes. This is a quality that one would expect, but that few films seem to deliver.

WANDERLOST is not a special effects driven horror film about demonic possession. Rather, it is a story driven by character and setting combined to make, not a horror movie so much as horrifying tale. If you are looking for unstoppable slashers or the undead devouring flesh, WANDERLOST is not for you. If, however, you want an intelligent tale of the struggle between the light and darkness, with elements of supernatural fantasy brewed in for flavor, then watch David Kabler’s WANDERLOST. You may find that it is more than you expect.

If you'd like to find out more about this film you can check out the film's website at http://www.wanderlostfilm.com.

It’s amazing how seriously everyone takes the end of the Mayan calendar. That’s right in 2012 a calendar started before Columbus first brought small pox to North America is reaching its end. Were the Mayans onto something? Did they have foreknowledge of some great cataclysm or of the end of days from the book of Revelations? It could be. It is also possible that they just figured someone in Mayan society would update the calendar before it ran out in a few hundred years. Well the joke was on them thanks to the Spaniards because now there aren’t any Mayans to update the calendar. So when it runs out it that the end? Ask me on New Years day 2013.

One thing that the Mayan calendar has done for us in modern times is provide a quick target for filmmakers. The big studios hit it with 2012 the mega-disaster of a film that showed us all that John Cusack, while a cool dude, is no action hero. But the big studios aren’t the only ones getting in on the fun. Take Director Jason D. Morris’s film MILLENNIUM APOCALYPSE for example. The movie opens in with what could be the end of the world. The year is 2012 and a meteor or some other large, flaming, heavenly object strikes the Earth. Pretty heavy stuff for an opening, but is it really the fate of the world? We’ll find out as the film immediately jumps back to a few years to pick up the story.

Jordan (Shoni Alysse Cook) is a woman with a gift. It’s hard to tell if it’s precognition or an ability to read the history of an object, or a little of both. Whatever it is, she has a gift and there are many people who want to use it. Recruited into the Millennium group (very reminiscent of the one from Chris Carter’s MILLENNIUM television series from the 90’s). The group uses Jordan’s special talents to help solve crimes that seem out of the ordinary.

While Jordan is working on a case involving the murder of a number of teens she, her partner Christian (Joe Amos) and FBI agent John Morgan (William Martin) discover that there is something more sinister and widespread going on than they could imagine.
Microchips planted in the backs of the teen’s necks. A mysterious company making them for the government and strange visions haunting Jordan all point to something bigger. Jordan also begins to since that the case may somehow be related to the disappearance of her father years before. As the investigation progresses Jordan begins to suspect that these simple murders may somehow be connected to the biblical predictions of the end of the world and that if she can’t unravel the mystery then the whole world may suffer the consequences.

Jason Morris’s MILLENNIUM APOCALYPSE is a film with a good premise and a lot of potential, that didn’t feel like it went anywhere with it. Cook’s portrayal of Jordan, the gifted agent around whom the story revolves, was wooden and lacking in the depth of acting necessary to bring the character alive and make viewers care about the outcome. The film also dragged during the first half as the mystery emerged. Excellent special effects towards the end and a few surprising twists could not help the film recover its momentum and build the tension necessary to make the ending pay off. Ultimately, MILLENNIUM APOCALYPSE fails itself by having too much plot, and not enough story. That said, if you’re in the mood for a taste of X-FILES like conspiracy without all the sexual tension of Mulder and Scully, check out MILLENNIUM APOCALYPSE, but hurry, that pesky Mayan calendar is ticking away.

Many people spend their lives looking for meaning. They try different things; religion, emersion in work or family, vision quests. Some are fortunate enough to find what they are looking for, for others it is the search itself that defines them. Writer/director Brian Wimer’s film MANTRA introduces us to six people from diverse walks of life who have come together for a spiritual retreat. Whatever they were looking for, they were not ready for what they found.

Wimer plays “the Guru”, a spiritual leader who defines their world during the retreat. Do not talk, do not kill anything, and do not engage in sexual gratification with another or alone. When one of them starts to ask a question his quick response is “There are no questions here, only answers.” The Guru follows the very zen philosophy that pain comes from desire and therefore by giving up desire, one gives up pain. So he encourages the group to give up their desires and be at peace. To this end they all are given simple, mundane tasks. Cleaning toilets, scrubbing the showers, separating dark bits of rice from the white, digging a hole; these are simple, almost mindless tasks that allow the group to reflect on what the Guru is teaching them.

Some of them begin experiencing strange visions as the retreat progresses and when the Guru dies during an outing in the forest, things become even more strange for the group. They finally begin to talk to one another, revealing the troubles which haunt them and made them come on the retreat in the first place. These revelations in turn are like a catalyst for the visions they experience to take on meanings directly related to each person’s fear or guilt about something from their past. Only these visions seem to become real with gruesome results as the group is slowly killed by what they fear.

MANTRA is billed as a horror film. However, that is an over simplification of this film. It is more a movie about self-discovery and the facing of inner demons, of course the “inner demons” in this film usually brutally kill the ones who face them in a manner befitting to their fears. Mantra fits well with another of Wimer’s films EAT ME: A ZOMBIE MUSICAL, in its examination of religion and belief. Where EAT ME went for the absurd and almost whimsical with its imagery, MANTRA goes for the darker side allowing fears to manifest themselves as dead friends and loved ones come back, if not for revenge, then to beckon the living to join them. MANTRA is not a traditionally scary horror film. However, it is a film that will make the viewer think and pay attention. The film allows the viewer to become compelled by the characters and although not necessarily empathizing with all of them, certainly appreciating them. The film is also noteworthy for its lack of dialogue. Some characters never speak a single word, yet the viewer is able to understand them and the forces compelling them onward as they move towards ultimate enlightenment, or death whichever comes first. So don’t kill anything, don’t engage in sexual gratification alone or with others, don’t talk and watch MANTRA, because in it there are no questions… only answers.

Life is complicated. It’s rare for things to be strictly black and white, right or wrong, and the choices we make have consequences. Donnie Arnett (Charlie Matthes) has learned that the hard way. After serving eight years in prison for his involvement in a drug deal gone horribly wrong, Donnie is finally free. Of course, in director Rick Amundson’s film INDELIBLE, freedom, like so many other things, is complicated.

Now that he’s done his time, Donnie wants to build a relationship with his twelve year old daughter Grace (Mackenzie Pelletier). His wife Gayle (Tess Gill) has other ideas. She’s taken up with Rickie (Paul Cram), the son of the supplier Donnie used to work for. The pair are both meth addicts and want nothing to do with Donnie. Gayle even threatens that she’d rather see Grace dead than with her father.

On top of the troubles with Gayle, Rickie’s dad JD (J.D. Garfield) wants Donnie back in the fold. Donnie was his best producing dealer and now he faces pressure to return to that life rather than stay clean.

Then there is Police Detective Milt Cochran, the father of Donnie’s best friend Jeff. Jeff was killed during the drug deal that put Donnie in jail, and Cochran still blames him for it.

Donnie is lost and unsure how he can do the right thing and become a father for Grace with so many obstacles before him. It is only when he meets Maggie (Michelle Tomlinson) that he finds someone who understands him and can help. Maggie, a tattoo artist, sees a kindred spirit in Donnie. While in prison he began getting tattoos of his own design. His ink is a map of his life and Maggie appreciates that. It is the tattoos that help her understand who Donnie is. She encourages him in his efforts to connect with his daughter despite the obvious challenges, and Donnie is able to see his daughter for the first time since he went to jail.

Grace at first doesn’t trust her father. Though only 12, she’s lead a hard life dealing with her mother’s addiction. Rickie’s abusive presence has only made that situation worse and Grace struggles with her own feelings about the father she never really knew.

When Rickie murders Gayle during a drug induced rage, Grace has to flee. She’s the only witness and Rickie wants her dead. She goes to the only person she has left: Donnie. Now Donnie must figure out how to protect his daughter, deal with Rickie, and build the relationship he and Grace both need.

INDELIBLE is a complex drama that draws heavily on the symbolism of Donnie’s tattoos to reflect the nature of life and relationships. Writer Steven Hakeman and director Rick Amundson do an amazing job creating a compelling and engaging story of one man’s journey through darkness, and his discovery of the true nature of the bonds that hold us to the ones we love.
 
INDELIBLE has a strong story. Coupled with outstanding performances by the entire cast, this makes a moving film that draws the view in quickly and holds them. Donnie is a sympathetic character and Matthes plays him with just the right combination of strength, compassion, and personal uncertainty. Mackenzie Pelletier delivers an amazing performance in her role as Grace, a young girl mature beyond her years in some ways, but who still longs for the certainty that every child seeks from their parents. Also worth noting are the performances by Tess Gill and Michelle Tomlinson. Their characters represent opposite ends of the spectrum for Donnie as Gayle’s hopelessness and desire to spread her own misery compete with the hope and understanding brought by Maggie.

The word indelible means something that cannot be erased. The tattoos that cover Donnie’s body tell his story and how the past cannot be changed. These same indelible markings also show how the relationships we form can become just as in-erasable if the will and the love are there. INDELIBLE is a moving drama that should not be missed.

When one thinks of musicals a number of different ideas may come to mind. Some think of Broadway and the stage; elaborate sets and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Others may think of Gene Kelly as he spins an umbrella and dances down a rainy street. There have been musicals of all types, dramas, operas, comedy, romance, the list is as long and limitless as the imagination of the people making films. So writer/director Brian Wimer making a zombie musical should come as no surprise. What might be a surprise though is the results of his efforts: EAT ME: A ZOMBIE MUSICAL.

Peter (Peter Markush) is a man who seems confused about where he’s going and why he’s here. Dressed in women’s clothes for most of the film Peter begins a wandering journey in a big white school bus. His goal appears to be to find the afterlife. Is he dead? That isn’t really clear, but he could be. Along the way he meets an eclectic collection of characters. Some, like the man in the chicken suit, Morgan (Morgan Moran) and Jessi (Jessi Giannini) the girl with the tattoo, he hits with the bus and they join his quest. Others, like a group of scientologists, Jesus, and a car full of mayhem causing girls gone wild, seem to pop up as recurring characters on the road to the afterlife.

The journey is a long and strange one that is peppered with commercials for unusual and sometimes disturbing products and what appear to be public service announcements about the different styles of spanking. Eventually though, Peter and his companions reach the afterlife. It’s a rave club and it’s filled with zombies.

As I mentioned at the start, EAT ME is a musical. To say it is not a traditional musical like GREASE or SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS would be an understatement. The musical portion comes in as the film dives head first into music video like sequences at random points. Some of these musical breaks fit nicely into the film, others come across as more random. The film does have impressive production values and the cinematography and sound quality are first rate. It also features a number of impressive scenes of old school stop-motion photography. What it has in technical quality though it seems to lack in story as the plot is confusing and the characters’ motivations are equally unclear. The film seems to be an existential road movie looking at the meaning of life and religion, that is, at the same time, is just a collection of short skits and musical interludes that are tied vaguely together only by Peter’s presence.
 
Is EAT ME: A ZOMBIE MUSICAL worth seeing? That depends… if you have the patience to follow the movie’s convoluted nature, you will be rewarded with some genuinely funny and sometimes disturbing moments. There is also a lot of good music supporting the film (the cheese song portion is particularly entertaining). However, if you  are looking for a traditional story arch, deep character development, or just want to fully understand what you are watching, the EAT ME: A ZOMBIE MUSICAL may not be for you. So smoke some weed, turn down the lights and watch EAT ME: A ZOMBIE MUSICAL and remember that the root of all suffering is desire so you have to…. Oh Hell, I can’t remember, just watch the film for yourself, you’ll figure it out.

If like me you're sick to death of the Brit gangster flicks of the likes of Guy Ritchie and Nick Love (all mockney macho swaggering, glorified violence and rampant misogyny) then first time director and co-writer Ben Wheatley's Down Terrace is the perfect antidote for all that geezer fatigue. This resolutely unglamorous and darkly comic depiction of one crime family's descent into paranoia, betrayal and finally murderous retribution is like watching The Godfather as performed by comedians during an episode of Coronation Street.

Filmed in the house on the titular street in Brighton that co-writer and lead actor Robin Hill grew up in Down Terrace presents us with the portrait of a dysfunctional clan in the midst of a meltdown of epic proportions. Wheatley and Hill's vision is of kitchen sink realism, gallows humour and a dash of Grand Guignol theatrics. Cups of tea are drank, spliffs are rolled and anecdotes swapped, largely within the confines of the family home, as Karl (Hill) and his dad Bill (Robert Hill, Robin's father) are acquitted from a drugs charge and set about uncovering the rat in their midst. Julia Deakin, who had a recurring role in the much loved sitcom Spaced, plays the family's matriarch Maggie and morphs from put upon mother to display a  controlling persona that embraces cold blooded murder in bleak and cruelly humorous fashion. As the family and their rogues gallery of associates begin to turn on each other and the body count begins to rise the plot does begin to stretch credulity but it's to the cast and crews credit that they succeed in sucking you into the unfolding events so that the film's flaws are far outweighed by it's successes.

The combination of a razor sharp script, oddball characters and a focus on the minutiae of everyday domestic life (redecorating, cooking tea, local gossip) crossed with escalating violence  makes Down Terrace a unique treat. Lifelong friends Wheatley and Hill obviously know what makes each other tick and they have a real feel for creating believable characters and a real ear for dialogue, whether it be banal, comedic or brutal.

Confining most of the action to the family home adds to the increasingly claustrophobic and paranoid plot, as the comedy crosses into violence it does feel as if the four walls of the house are closing in around Karl and his parents.. The limited outdoor scenes showing rainy streets, windswept and desolate fields and run down housing estates adds to the air of social realism and shows locations in Brighton that don't generally make it onto the big screen.

Down Terrace is by no means perfect, there was something a little unsatisfactory about how things concluded and a couple of the plot devices were a little too contrived for comfort but overall it is a huge breath of fresh air injected into a genre that has long been flogging a dead horse. On the evidence of this outing both Wheatley and Hill can look forward to bright futures, and I for one would love to see them tackle other genres, horror especially springs to mind, as they would be sure to bring something fresh to the table.

Nina, from Rosario Entertainment, is a powerful story of three kindred spirits coming together and finding support in each other while on their separate journeys through life.

A disaffected and lonely man, Joe (Derek Michalak), stuck in a dead-end job, seeks the company of a relationship and the direction to get out of his current station in life. One night, he saves a young girl, Nina (Danicah Waldo) from a group of street thugs, and takes her in. The two become close friends. Nina reunites Joe with his coworker Tanya (Amy Herring), who is trapped in an abusive relationship and had rejected his earlier advances. The three become a kind of close-knit family in the process. Joe decides to get himself back on his feet, training for a prize fight, and finds the support and companionship he’s sought in Tanya. Along the way, there are effective moments of melodrama that are well-handled by the actors, particularly the subplot involving Tanya and her abusive husband. The plot works toward a tense and moving climax revolving around the championship fight, the final confrontation with Tanya’s husband, and a final act that has tragic consequences for all involved.

Director Rosario and actor Michalak create a truly moving character out of Joe. Michalak gives the role a great balance between a kind of isolation and a slightly pathetic quality that earns the sympathy of the viewer without ever becoming manipulative. Waldo delivers a very effective performance as Nina, warming up to Joe and helping him grow as a person.

There are some particularly interesting stylistic flourishes, too. The scene in which Tanya is confronted by her abusive husband is conveyed off-screen while we see a slow, panning shot of the living room, creating a highly unsettling contrast to the events we hear taking place out of the shot.

The New York locations are well-chosen and work very well with creating an environment in which these characters go about their lives. The scene in which Nina brings Tanya to meet Joe at Coney Island captures the slightly decaying, desolate feel of the old Coney Island quite well.

Luis L. Del Rosario Jr. has done a remarkable job in creating a powerful, character-driven drama, told with interesting moments of visual style and well-crafted performances.

For more information on the DVD, visit: http://www.ninathemovie.com

Based on true events, Haunting Villisca, from Digital Shadow Films, is a paranormal thriller in the tradition of small-town “haunting” stories.

It opens in the small town of Villisca in 1912, where an entire family is murdered in their sleep by a killer with an axe. The film cuts back and forth between the trial in 1912, and the present day, with Prof. David Salt, who is dealing with issues with his wife. After his wife takes her own life, he finds himself ousted from his position at the college after it is revealed he’s involved in an affair with a student. Arriving in Villisca, he immediately finds himself involved in strange happenings, and begins to realize there may be a connection between his wife and the terrible tragedy that took place in Villisca nearly a century earlier.

The film boasts a particularly good music score that is worth noting, strongly evoking the chilling atmosphere. Director James Serpento (who also co-wrote and edited) keeps things moving at a brisk pace, building good moments of fright by using seemingly ordinary image with an unsettling quality, particularly in the sequence taking place at the Villisca Heritage Parade. There are some good special effects too, which are used sparingly and therefore more effective when they do appear. Serpento especially does a great job at evoking the small town atmosphere.

For more information on the DVD, check out the website here.

Every once in a while a film comes along that speaks for an entire generation. For some it was the apathetic youthful rebellion of the 1990's, so appropriately dished out in films such as Slacker, Empire Records or Reality Bites. Youth culture from the 1980's could be encapsulated in any number of comedies or dramas that were ever plentiful for that time. I personally never thought that my own generation would be displayed in a film starring Michael Cera of all people, but you can't pick your horses some times. Not that Michael Cera doesn't completely and utterly aquit himself in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, but his name alone is enough to drive away any self respecting film geek that sees how completely one dimensional he tends to be. With that said, like so many other, I loved Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and what's more, I love Scott Pilgrim himself.

Scott Pilgrim has a girlfriend in high school. Although he himself is not far removed from high school himself, it still seems socially awkward to nearly everyone around him. Scott's girlfriend, the adorable Knives Chou (played by Emily Wong), loves him so much that it gets to the point of obsession. Scott and Knives get along great however, that is until he meets Ramona Flowers. Ramona is an American girl fresh in Toronto who sticks out like a sore thumb thanks mostly to her offbeat fashion sense, rollerblades and her hair color which is often coordinated with her outfit. Scott falls in love and desperately starts searching her out. When he finally manages to take her out, without breaking up with Knives first, he discovers that Ramona has a history. A very painful history. Ramona's dumped exes have teamed together in order to form a League of Evil Exes and now if Scott wants to continue to see Ramona, he'll have to fight off all seven of them!

It is rather unfortunate to see Scott Pilgrim under-perform at the box office the way that it has. Opening on the same day as Sylvester Stallone's highly anticipated, but rather dull and conventional, The Expendables left it gasping for breath. A very boring ad campaign also helped to seal its fate, which is unfortunate. Based upon a graphic novel, I purposefully avoided the books before seeing the movie out of an affection for Edgar Wright's work. Although I am sure the comic is brilliantly written (as so much of it seems to have been translated into this feature), I wanted this experience to be wholly new and natural for me. Edgar Wright is a filmmaker that most film geeks have grown to appreciate since his feature debut Shaun of the Dead, however many of us wondered what his first non-Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movie might look like and if Scott Pilgrim is any indication he is as much a cerebral filmmaker as he is a brilliant visual director.

Going back to Scott Pilgrim as a mouthpiece for my particular generation, it truly speaks towards the iGeneration . To those of us who grew up playing our NES and have a fascination with computer technology, Scott Pilgrim presents a world that is loaded to bear with influences and references that run the gamut of geek culture. Video game culture is on display here but there is also a lot here for Comic Book geeks to freak out about. Movie nerds have reason to rejoice as well however, because Edgar Wright is still as influenced by all of cinema as he always has been. The references come at a mile a minute pace, as the movie flashes by those of us in the audience. Wright manages to mix all of this into a cohesive whole, which shows a skilled hand as the movie itself balloons into a massive and epic trip through the dating mindset of most twenty-somethings.

The film itself is such a visual piece of work that it takes a few moments to come down off of the high. While walking out of the theaters, both times that I went to see it (with different people, I'm not that much of a fanboy), I couldn't help but feel a slight dizziness from being so absorbed in the visual realm of the film. The sound effects that we hear onscreen are often accompanied by their onscreen text representation, as in a comic book, and characters often interact with these action blurbs that pop up. They either obscure them as if they someone had written an action verb on the wall behind a character, or they might literally crash into them. The movie remains creative in the way that Wright toys with this little invention of his and it is all part of the surreal fun that is Scott Pilgrim. Who knows, does this movie actually take place in our reality but these things that happen are just visual manifestations of Scott's inner monologue. Is this some kind of hyper-reality where doors often exist out in the middle of nowhere that lead our characters to whatever setting they desire? These are questions I can't answer, but in terms of pure fun - this imagination is unexplained and beautiful!

You can argue that this isn't the deepest film ever written. You can argue that Ramona and Knives Chau are simply objects for Scott to pine for and remain paper thin characters (something I disagree with), but unless you're heartless you can't deny the ridiculous amount of fun that Scott Pilgrim packs with its punch. It isn't the best film of the summer for me, but it is right up there and certainly deserves your attention before it is pulled from theaters.

Dan Eberle is one of the most interesting filmmakers I have come across that currently works in the realm of no-budget independent cinema. I was sent his previous film The Local for review here on Rogue Cinema some time back and I was thoroughly impressed with it. A small story about redemption that packed highly polished visuals with a very sick sense of decay that encompassed the entire project. The feature, like the one we'll be discussing today, starred Eberle who is actually a strong actor as well as director. These are two concepts that don't always work well with one another, but Eberle has a vision and he does what it takes to bring that across for his audience. He is a low budget auteur of sorts, with a focus on life as it hits the skids. Prayer to a Vengeful God sort of solidified this for me. Although it is not as conventionally entertaining as The Local, it is even more ambitious. How is that, you ask? Prayer to a Vengeful God is almost entirely a silent film.

John Krause (Dan Eberle) is your average white collar type. Doing well for himself, sophisticated and set within his ways. His life takes a horrible change however when his apartment is broken into and he is shot in the back, while his wife is murdered. Krause awakens in the hospital and has to re-learn everything within his life. All of this while he is haunted by the death of his beautiful and caring wife. When John is released, he is given prescription medication in order to deal with his pain and he soon finds out that if he takes the medication to excess, he can actually imagine his deceased wife standing there with him. As John discovers this new world of drug addiction and vagrancy, he finds a group of thugs who may have been involved in the death of his wife. With this information, and the help of a homeless man who teaches him to fight, John sets out on a path towards vengeance.

Following in the footsteps of Eberle's previous film The Local, Prayer to a Vengeful God continues a fascination with the downtrodden and the weak in our society. Although the photography is stunning at times and beautiful at every moment, it is caked with the grime and feel of urban life. The grit simply pulsates through nearly every frame of film, only giving us a break when we see the character John and his previous life before the death of his wife. The pristine and proper look of his apartment gives a stark contrast to the urban decay that lives just outside of his doorstep. As this character sinks into this horrifying new reality, so do we become accustomed to it.

The fact that this is all but a silent film is something that is going to split audiences right down the center. Despite my having some reservations about the concept, which I will get to shortly, I can't help but admire the sheer guts and artistic integrity that it takes to do such a thing. It is the equivalent of a cinematic dare in this day and age. Many art house features are minimalist in their nature and feature very little in the way of dialogue. South Korean filmmaker Kim-Ki Duk comes to mind when I think of such filmmakers. Eberle however looks to take the concept to its notable climax, by removing all dialogue and instead focusing on cinema in its truest form which is the visual. It is what separates this art form from all others and Eberle takes the challenge to present his story simply in the realm of the visual. Does it pay off? That is a difficult answer, but I will say that for the most part I think Eberle succeeds in his goals and crafts a very engaging piece of experimental cinema.

Making this as an experimental silent film was certainly a brave choice, but at the same time it does limit itself in many ways. The audience is obvious a key factor. Although I do know several people I plan to recommend the movie to, there are some others who could possibly lose interest along the way and may not even invest their time due to how involved one has to be while watching. This isn't like your traditional silent film from the pre-talkie era, this has no title card to fill us in on the unspoken emotional moments that come about. It makes the film slightly difficult to parse out in your head as a viewer, as characters float into the picture and then back out. You have to consistently remind yourself who is who, without the benefit of hearing their voice in order to differentiate themselves further. These are pet peeves more than anything, as I did enjoy the picture quite a bit and am giving it a solid recommendation, but with that recommendation comes a warning.

There's no doubt about it, this one won't be for everyone. However, it does help to cement Dan Eberle in my mind as one of the most talented filmmakers you have probably never heard of. It is a dark and gritty tale of vengeance, but it leans more towards the art house side of things than it is a work of genre cinema. I absolutely recommend it and I can't wait to see more from Eberle as he continues to grow and to thrive as an artist. You can read more about the film at the official website: http://insurgentpictures.com/vengeful