SXSW 2010 Review: The Loved Ones

Film, SXSW 2010 Add comments

Mar 152010

I’m literally pushing two other reviews aside so I can run this one today. I liked it that much.

Do you remember how awkward high school was? Maybe you’re even still in high school. Ok then, how awkward was asking or being asked to the dance? What about when you were turned down? Rejection can generate a multitude of reactions from human beings. Boys usually react in some fashion of saving face. Here in The Loved Ones, Princess Lola (Robin McLeavy) responds by having her dad invite you for a private party at her humble abode. Only replace “invite” with “kidnap” and “private party” with being part of a bizarre ritual that has you restrained in a kitchen for the entire evening. Would you still choose just normal school/parties over this scenario? That’s not really the question director Sean Byrne poses but it’s certainly makes for an interesting juxtaposition. The Loved Ones is a really great horror film in the vein of Misery or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It’s an Australian made film with a completely Aussie cast and as bizarre as it gets, I really quite enjoyed it.

I gave you the brief premise, but let me set it up a little more. Brent (Xavier Samuel) is still in mourning over the recent passing of his father. He partly blames himself as he was behind the wheel of the accident that resulted in his dad’s demise. Add to that, he has to deal with the uneasy nature of navigating high school. Very early on, Lola asks him if he’d like to go to their end of school dance. Brent explains that he’s already going with his girlfriend Holly (Victoria Thaine), which causes Lola to respond unfavorably. Her father captures Brent and brings him home for Lola’s own private dance. I won’t go further, but what follows is a macabre hour of tension that is literally relentless.

I’m really trying to not go all hyperbolic on you (eventually I’ll stop crying about that) but it’s really difficult considering how much I enjoyed this movie. The dance set up by Lola and her father plays out like an extended version of the dinner scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), which was notably absent from the 2003 remake. I know that probably sounds just crazy to attempt but it’s damn near poetic how well this movie pulls it off. Using something as trivial as “the dinner table” makes for a great nightmare scenario. There’s just something creepy about sharing a table with a homicidal family. Supper is supposed to be a time to recollect on the day and share thoughts. Breaking bread for Christ’s sake! I’m always amazed when filmmakers take something as habitual as this and just turn it on its head. For all of it’s 90 minutes, I was floored at the execution.

There’s a lot of things that help with this though. And none of it would really work were it not for the remarkable turn Robin McLeavy makes as Lola. It’s a role/performance that could be on par with a horror franchise should it be afforded the same amount of attention. I know it’s somewhat exploitative that she’s basically a dejected young woman. I mean, who better to be a murderer than the person you least suspect? During the Q/A after the film, both Byrne and McLeavy discussed the large amount of research they did into serial killers and mental illness. As trite as this is to say, the proof is in the pudding- they did they’re homework and you can really tell.

Another bit that I’ll have to be coy about is the soundtrack. For Brent, they’ve set him up as somewhat rebellious. He sports a Metallica T-Shirt and listens to metal during the times he’s not strapped in. But there’s another song that you may or may not have heard before, a bubble gum pop song, that’s used to a really effective degree. Again, I’m not giving it away but I’ll never think of anything but this film when I hear that song now. And damn it if it isn’t somewhat catchy for garbage.

As you can tell, this is my favorite movie of the festival so far. If you’re in town for SXSW, there are two other screenings that I recommend you check out. The film is scheduled to release in August. Either way, find some time to support his film.