"He loved his family. She, her divinity"

Title: Prayers for Bobby
Year: 2009
Genre: Drama, Biography
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Writer: Katie Ford (teleplay), Leroy Aarons (book)
Runtime: 90min
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Henry Czenry, Ryan Kelley, Austin Nichols, Carly Schroeder, Shannon Eagen, Scott Bailey, Dan Butler, Susan Ruttan
Produc.: Daniel Sladek Entertainment, Once Upon a Time Films, Permut Presentations

Inspired by true events, Prayers for Bobby tells us how Mary Griffith (Sigourney Weaver), a religious fundamentalist who refuses to accept her gay son, ends up leading young Bobby (Ryan Kelley) to suicide. 

I saw this drama long ago, when I yet, did not have the blog, and given that now I have the movie in my video library, it occurred to me to watch it again, to refresh my memory to comment it. 

Prayers for Bobby starts at one, with the most dramatic moment of the film. Bobby, in his 20´s and with so much ahead, decides that it is no longer worth living, if by being a homosexual he does not deserve to be accepted, neither by God nor by his mother. Bobby throws himself from a bridge, to be runned over and die instantly. 

The unexpected event has obviously got a strong impact on those who loved him, but not to all, in the same way. Precisely as his mother has difficulties separating this matter from her religious belief, she is not capable of dealing with the fear that Bobby might not be accepted in heaven.

The film is not just about the conflict between a mother and her child, but rather is the starting point, for Russell Mulcahy to denounce the social problem of discrimination. 

By the way, I think it important to clarify that I am not opposed to the freedom of belief, and that believeing is a choice as any other. However, I do consider that, with or without gods, it is essential for one to be able to reason for itself, which is exactly what Mary does not do. 

So devoted is Mary that she lets herself to be guided, in every way, by her faith. She keeps reciting biblical passages and measures people, judging them by her dogma. Suddenly the younger son of hers turns out to be gay, which is contrary to all that, for her, is good and pure, and therefore a sin, so Mary feels that Bobby has strayed from the right path. Her religious fanaticism prevents her from trying to understand him and respect him for what he is, and acts like someone who only wants what she believes to be good at God´s eyes. 

On the other hand, with the secret having being revealed, Bobby Griffith is anything but supported. Instead of understanding, he finds himself with a mother for whom his homosexuality is unthinkable and awuful. A unacceptable offense to the divine plan, which has to be erased, and never accepted. Neither his father is of big help for his poor ability to communicate and for being unable to stop a woman who is solving the issue in a bad manner. It is only then, months after Bobby's death, that Mary finds answers, but when the situation is already irreversible. 

Russell Mulcahy criticizes here the church, but properly, always taking the trouble of showing us its nuances. He also seeks for us to know that, despite its faults, catholicism has also got values. 

Mary, for example, goes to Portland, where she meets Reverend Whitsell (Dan Butler), who tells her of not taking so literally, what says in the Bible. Whitsell explains her that its possible interpretations may vary according to the times, the social groups and according to each person, although most importantly, he gives her to understand that for God, a mother should love her children without conditions. 

Despite this, there is also an extreme negative side. In the mass celebrated in Bobby´s honor we hear Reverend Owens speaking, and who really leaves much to be desired. The incredible thing is that this man has got the courage to say the the kid has been tempted to then sin, when the only sinner here had been his mother, for not supporting him. No one, when Bobby lived, had bothered to ask him if he had chosen his orientation, while, in the same way, now he is so easily accussed of impure. His death is, of course, a terrible loss. But Bobby died a sinner: first, for being gay, and secondly, for taking his life. 

In any case, Prayers for Bobby aims, above all, to expose the flaws of catholicism, being discrimination against homosexuals, only one of the important topics. 

Mary, in her fanaticism, is incapable of reasoning, and she has chosen to understand to the letter the biblical texts, regardless of its consequences. And one thing, in religious terms, is to convey certain values and form thinking minds, while another very different is to shape fundamentalists, who do not even questioned those teachings. 

In the end, I think, no matter what religion one answered to, our religious beliefs should never overlap the acceptance of our loved ones. 

My rating: 8/10

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"An unhealthy, change of look"

Title: La Moustache (The Mustache)

Year: 2005

Genre: Drama, Mistery

Writer: Jèrôme Beaujour, Emmanuel Carrère (novel), Emmanuel Carrère (written by)

Runtime: 87min

Cast: Vincent Lindon, Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Macha Polikarpova, Hippolyte Girardot, Cylia Malki, Fantine Camus

Produc.: Les Films de Tournelles, Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Cofimage 16, Uni Etoile 2, Région lle-de-France, Procirep, Canal+, Fondation GAN pour le Cinéma, TPS Star

In The Mustache, sitting in the tub, Marc (Vincent Lindon) asks his wife (Emmanuelle Devos) what does she thinks of him shaving his mustache, which he has been using for quite long. 

Emmanuel Carrère, director of this film, makes us clear his intention of not extending too long on presentations, and goes straight to the point. So then we hear, straight away Marc´s voice, who from the tub consults his wife on a possible change of look. Agnès, meanwhile, replies him only vaguely, not giving him a yes or a no, and going on errands. Then, Marc decides to give it a try.

Agnès comes back later, for her husband to have fun in silence. When putting on his shoes he prevents Agnès to see the change, and after her shower, Marc holds the towel up, leaving part of his face hidden. They stop in front of the mirror, where Marc waits to see his wife´s gesuture, when she notices what he has done, but that, that does not happen. Nor does she say anything in the elevator or in the car, when that night they go to the house of their friends, Serge (Mathieu Amalric) and Nadia (Macha Polikarpova), who also, do not say anything. 

The worst, however, is yet to come. Because Marc vents on his wife the anger that he has been building up, until, in bed, Agnes is forced to call her friends. Late at night she receives from them the confirmation that, for the last fifteen years, Marc has never had a mustache. 

But the string of unreal situations does not end there. Marc coworkers also do not notice his shaved, although they realize when he smoks again. As if the madness only revolved around his facial hair. 

Marc takes new pictures of himself and then asks a stranger to have a look a them, along with the one on his ID. The woman immediately points out what looks different, so now Marc understands even less, what is happens. 

Following this, what could be better than to look up for the pictures of his trip to Bali, as an evidence of his sanity. Seeing his album he is relevied to confirm that he is sane. Nonetheless, at the moment of showing them to Agnès she pays him little attention, and I would like to know why, but really, WHY?, he did not insist. If this was the way of keeping us the mystery, I am sorry to say it, but it was not good. Because letting Agnès see that evidence, was something so obvious that it makes no sense otherwise. 

Still, the dilemma of the mustache becomes one out of several. After hearing his father's message on the answering machine, Agnès tells him that, that is not possible, because his father is dead. Marc also mentions Serge and Nadia, so that Agnès ensures him that she does not know them. Marc goes so far as to call to his parent´s place, to what, in fact, the line appears unavailable. At this point he seems to be living an episode of the Twilight Zone. 

Desperate and feeling he has lost track of reality, Marc escapes of the apartment before Agnès hospitalizes him, and arrives in taxis, to the airport, to leave, without luggage, to Hong Kong. 

Marc arrives at hongkonese land to make this city his therapist, and looking to forget about so much nonsense. He settles in a hotel and starts a new routine, which Carrère describes, for several minutes, until getting us bored. He has left unfinished his "long fantasic episode," from the Rod Serling´s kind, to make one wonder, where was it left what we were seeing? 

With China substituting France, the whole mystery of the mustache, Marc´s father and his friends is cast to one side, remaning in a sort of disconcerting stand by. The Mustache undergoes a change of course that leaves us waiting for a nonexistent revealing fact, when, at most, Marc leaves again the mustache and the beard.

Watching him in his days of tourists made me want to accelerate the scenes. Until one day he comes to the hotel, to find his wife in bed, reading, as if nothing. As if he had left on good terms.

At night they get together with a couple, which they, supposedly met on that trip. With them they see pictures of the four, in a digital camera, and in whose snapshots Marc notices as indisputable, the presence of his troubled mustache. However he is convinced he has never met these people, prior to that output, and not to mention that in his memory he has no records of those pictures in which he smiles.

Carrère, in this way, keeps on adding mysteries, regarding what has been lived or not lived by Marc, being married. Not making any attempt to clarify anything and without even giving us clues, his movies finishes as it began, allowing us to interpret as we wish. And to the contrary, I think the idea of the mustache, gave to much more, than such a vague closing.

If not, remember open endings, but well developed, such as in Contact (1997) or The Separation (2011), where at least one knew from which possibilities you could chose, and it was not a simple and indistinct "anything goes".

My rating: 2/10

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"One truck, two destinations, three passengers"

Title: Las Acacias

Year: 2011

Genre: Drama

Director: Pablo Giorgelli

Writer: Pablo Giorgelli, Salvador Roselli

Runtime: 82min

Cast: Germán de Silva, Hebe Duarte, Nayra Calle Mamani, Mónica Coca, Lili López

Prod.: AireCine, Utópica Cine, Proyecto Experience, Armonika Entertainment, Hibou Producciones, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA), Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Instittuto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA), Tarea Fina, Televisón Española (TVE), Travesia Productions

In Las Acacias, Rubén (Germán de Silva) is a truck driver who is asked to carry an unknown woman (Hebe Duarte), from Asuncion to Buenos Aires, on a journey of 1500 km (932 miles). 

Some time ago, and after having heard it mentioned several times, a friend convinced me to see, as an exercise, the uruguayan film Whisky 2004. In the case of the national cinema, I had hitherto known only a few titles, because of prejudice. Something I do not expose as "the" revelation, but far from it. Just to make things clear. 

Like many people, I have also always tended to incline more towards the big industry over the local or other types of cinematography, something on which, for better or for worse, I will not expand with. So, at the time of seeing something done by my compatriots, I have never been as open as I would like, and I admit it. 

But, what's this all about? It is because I think it is sad, that a person have to deal with a movie, not as a recreational activity, but to be able to say later, that he did do the effort to see it. That he sacrificed. If we assume that with the audiovisual world in general we seek for entertainment, that the experience proved to be torturous, would make no sense, something that many fear to happen with what comes from South America or Europe. 

Personally, Las Acacias had not called my attention, until recently, another friend, after seeing it, said to me, well ... I will not say that I remember his exact words, but pretty much it had seemed to him as a "nice little minimalist film, of a man carrying a woman to Buenos Aires." The end. 

Still not quite convinced, I decided (though it cost me) to give it a try, and here is my verdict. 

The possibilities to be shot, are as many as the variety in its scenarios. Also, and believe it or not, while a director could put us on a ship, others might choose a somewhat smaller space, such as a trucks cabin, in Pablo Giorgelli´s film. There is where we see happening the relationship between Rubén and Jacinta, and from the limits of that space, we do not leave much. Is it that, good or bad? Of the talent of it´s director, I think that, that depends. 

Now ... When I say that, from there "we do not leave much," I do not mean it in a derogatory manner. There will be those who like to see large battles, as well as those who would be the supporters of something simpler, like "minimal stories", which is this case. Who said a truck driver and his passenger could not be interesting? It is just as valid as the ship or the war. 

However, I would say that, for no lucid director should be enough to have his characters in full trip, doing nothing. Because, lets see... All fine, with minimalism. But to see a guy driving, and his passenger, motionless, and stay with it, we could just film ourselves and watch it later. I mean, if we wanted to make a movie, better to have something to say and really worthwhile (either with actions, dialogues, or whatever), but, in the end, something worth to be seen. 

What happenes in Las Acacias is that Giorgelli takes minimalism to the extremes. With scenes where the image is quite limited to the shot/reverse shot, to see them, him, at the wheel, and her, watching the road, while taking care of her baby, Anahí (Nayra Street Mamani) . 

At another point Rubén plays with the girl, with his right hand, while driving with the left one, and Jacinta sleeps. Or in another scene, Jacinta teaches Rubén some Guarani. 

Along the route, driver and passenger get to know each other, though very slowly, due to a reserved Rubén. At first, neither is he capable of asking the mother for her name, or her daughter´s. Having very little conversation between them (but with a Reubén, increasingly opening) and with a few stopovers on the way, Giorgelli manages a pace that allows the film not to become eternal, thanks to a simple, but effective montage, and to the distribution that he gives to the dialogues and actions. Here is how he gets us to care about his characters and not fall asleep. As to the end, without being it a big deal, he achieves on making it touching, when they arrive to the argentinian capital. 

Yet, and despite having positive things, Las Acacias fails to convince, because the simplicity of its language is too much, and because it lacks to explore more, a bond between two people, that is so little that does not justify an almost an hour and twenty five minutes of movie. 

My rating: 4/10

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"Beware of what you dream. It could come true"

Title: Ruby Sparks 

Year: 2012 

Genre: Comedy, Fantastic, Romantic 

Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris 

Writer: Zoe Kazan 

Runtime: 104min 

Cast: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Aasif Mandvi, Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould 

In Ruby Sparks, Calvin (Paul Dano) is a successful novelist suffering from creative block, until, sleeping, he dreams of an imaginary girl (Zoe Kazan), that not only inspires him, but also suddenly comes to life. 

By no means I intend to defend the Academy Awards. Not that I pretend to say that these are good or bad, because (business or non-business) supposedly it´s members have to reward, by voting, according to the subjective likes of each of one of them, and in that, I do not see anything wrong. Then, that what this people vote, is not, in fact, the absolute truth, is another matter. 

2006 was for independent Little Miss Sunshine, a positive year. It would be Oscar-nominated in four categories, keeping the best supporting actor and best writing. 

And I repeat, that the opinion of these people should not mean anything. However, personally, I still dare to recognize when they stand out, what has been, I think, a good writing. Deserved or not, the award, Michael Arndt's sceenplay was great. Something that would not happened again with the script of his successor, Zoe Kazan, working with the same directors. 

Ruby Sparks would take a different direction. Now with a young novelist, who, not even his therapist (Elliott Gould) would manage to help him enshape his ideas. Something for which he would have to resort to the dream world. 

A girl talks to Calvin. We do not understand much of what she says, but that does not matter, because Calvin wakes up on his couch, super inspired, and runs to his typewriter (some still prefer them, to computers), where he writes full speed. 

In another session, Calvin has trouble expressing Dr. Rosenthal, that, very weird thing, that is happening to him, until he finally does it. The thing is that, who has come to enlight him is a girl who does not even exist and for whom, for worse, he is falling. Calvin is able to describe Ruby, his new character, with clarity of details, both physically, in personality, or her biography. But most important is that writing is flowing back.

Until something strange happens. 

Ruby suddenly appear at his house, speaking to him (as if it were the most normal thing), to what Calvin goes crazy. 

A couple of situations that follow, one with his brother (Chris Messina), and another, with a fan, give to understand that his Ruby is as real as it seems. Along with Harry, he makes an experiment and discovers that everything that he writes of her, materializes. Something that is great, but crazy. 

Unfortunately, this good concept is quickly shot down by Kazan, who also plays Ruby. 

Calvin is soon, no longer astonished, to accept Ruby as the girl with whom he lives. From this, what we are shown is how the bond evolves, with its good and its bad moments, turning the film, to a large degree, into a typical juvenile drama on friction couple. Everything that, within the fantasy, could have been great, is lost, and almost everything that follows is a waste. 

Ruby Sparks comes to be about the conflicts between a girl who does not seem capable of behaving properly, and her jealous and possessive boyfriend, which adapts to a new girlfriend, as is things were just normal. 

With the problems between Ruby and Calvin, coming and going, Kazan takes too long to show us what we want more, which is, how a girl who came out of a sheet, written in ink, functions. So Kazan does not give to the magical aspect, it´s actual needed space. 

The handled premise is, that Calvin, to such point, is unable to talk to Ruby, that he opts to balance her with writing. Only in the last few minutes, is he taken to the extreme of possessiveness. When the differences between them have become too many, is that he solves to tell Ruby of the most extraordinary aspects of her existence. In a final scene, where Calvin becomes aggressive (though not in a verbal or physical way) uses his typewriter to drive her crazy, forcing her to do what he wants, just by typing in it. 

In conclusion, I think Kazan could have made of the magic power of the written word, the current element to be emphasized, and the movie would have gotten better. 

I can not, however, forget to mention of the excelent fate that Kazan gives to Ruby, when, for Calvin, it has come the time to say: enough! 

My rating: 3/10

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"New house, new family... old resources"

Title: Paranormal Activity 4

Year: 2012

Genre: Horror

Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman 

Writer: Christopher B. Landon (written by), Chad Feehan (written by) and Oren Peli (characters) 

Runtime: 88min 

Cast: Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Katie Featherston, Allen Bradley, Aiden Lovekamp, Alexandra Lee, Stephen Dunham 

Produc.: Room 101 

Budget: $5 million approx. 

In Paranormal Activity 4, five years after the events of the second part, Katie and Hunter (now Robbie) have moved to another house. It will be their neighbors, across the street, who begin to sence a strange presence. 

The horror genre is the one that most suffers, and in an ugly way, because of the ambition of the producers.

If we thought of animation, with each new release, a viewer would hardly take the trouble of questioning it, either given their tendency to be better constructed, or because there is not so much prejudice here. 

Let us, then, go back to the other gender, and see what happens, in the same circumstances. It could be said that with this cinema, a same rule is, almost always, complied: if the first was successful, the formula has to be repeated until depleted. 

Precisely, Paranormal Activity 4 is an example of squeezing (lengthen) a franchise, until no longer made sense, but because the numbers achieved, satisfied. 

We first had Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah, and their problems with demons. 

We then had, and not to repeat, Kristi and her husband. 

Worn out the present, then the past would be resorted. And the events during Katie and Kristi´s childhood. With a very low cost of production and over 200 million in revenues, it was to expect, that this would not be the closing. 

And here, the matter. Anyone who thought that three movies would have already exhausted all the options, certainly had not imagined the plan B. 

PA 2 (2010) ended with a possessed Katie, abducting Hunter, his infant nephew, to disappear, presumably forever. On that basis we are later surprised, in PA 4, with their return, in a new house, and in Hunter´s case, with a new identity: his name, Robbie. Aunt and nephew are now no more than puppets of an evil being, and their neighbors across the street, the perfect prey. So when Katie is suddenly taken by the emergency, these neighbors will be the only ones for Robbie, with whom to stay. 

The leading role in PA 4 passes to adolescents. This time Alex (Kathryn Newton), the eldest daughter of Holly (Alexandra Lee) and Doug (Stephen Dunham), and his friend Ben (Matt Shively) are those who feel that something is wrong. It also changes, in a way, the how we see what happens, as the whole film is seen from the webcams of this family. 

When one night, Ben's computer, in automatic recording (without him knowing it), saves what it registered by his friend´s camera, soon they have material to have fun with... or be scared. Because to see Robbie get into Alex's room while she sleeps, can not be less than disturbing. 

Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp) and their visitor create a tenebrous bond, becoming the first, as strange as the second. Moreover, noises and things moving without human contact, are present in various parts of the house. As in the others, PA 4 also works a lot with the prolonged suspense, which precedes each event, but this time, without the same results. Attempts to scare us are in vain, because everything is now, very predictable. 

The idea of the relocated aunt and nephew is so contrived, that it is difficult to take it seriously. Above that, we see a child with another name, which makes no sense. 

My rating: 3/10

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"Born in a cabbage patch? No. But, almost.

Title: The odd life of Timothy Green

Year: 2012

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Ditector: Peter Hedges

Writer: Peter Hedges (written by), Ahmet Zappa (story)

Runtime: 105min

Cast: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams, Odeya Rush, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Rosemarie DeWitt, David Morse, M. Emmet Walsh, Lois Smith, Dianne Wiest, Ron Livingston, 

Produc.: Monsterfoot Productions, Scott Sanders Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Budget: $25 million approx. 

In The odd life of Timothy Green, Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton) can not be parents, by their own means. Then, one night, they buried a box in their house´s garden, with written inside, all the desires they would like to see fulfilled in their own child. That same night they witness a miraculous result, in the form of small Timothy (CJ Adams).

Only as a curiosity, those who, more or less closely, follow Jennifer Garner´s filmography, may have noticed that this is the second time in five years, in which she plays a woman who can not have children. Her previous role had been in Juno (2007), as the minor character of Vanessa Loring, who waited for the baby of a teenage girl.

Jim and Cindy Green are of those couples, for whom, to be parents would be the icing on the cake. To have built the, dreamed of family.

The thing is that while for some, children come to them as easily as colds, others, such as the Greens, see the time go by without anything happening. It is then, when doctors have given up, that they go back to their home, where they muy settle with being the only ones under their roof.

On this particular night, and not having now, nothing to lose, Jim decides to play that together describe the perfect son, while they take note of each of his fictitious, enormous qualities, in some notepad´s sheets of paper. To, for a moment, fantasize, letting themselves to be carried away, and adding him, every time more attributes, to someone who is one hundred percent invented. Then, they go out in the dark to bury those qualities in a box in the garden.

Both of them are sleeping when the wind gets up, and an unusual rain is unleashed on their ground. Soon, this ceases, but having left for them a very special gift.

Someone suddenly appears in the bed, next to Jim, but disappears as quickly as it came, leaving dirty ground. Immediately, Cindy and Jim are set to find the intruder. Thus, they end up finding a boy of about ten years old, covered in mud, and who they do not know where he came from. Mystery they solve right away, when looking out a window. A hole with the little boy´s dimensions reveals in the same point where they had buried the box before.

To make the event even more surprising, the child has green leaves attached to his legs.

Chances are that, for many, this whole sequence will contain an exciting magic. With a couple that began disconsolate; who later, started to play, to forget their pain; and which ended up being touched by divine hands. And I do not doubt for that to had been Peter Hedge’s goal. Yet, I find that, although a fantastic story, it would have been interesting to tie some loose ends before continuing, to give greater strength to the events to come. Details such as, that it takes so little for the couple to convinced themselves that the child came out of the ground, and that, moreover, it is their son, do not help to that cause. Or that, when discovering that he has got leaves on his feet, they do not think he can be part of a joke, is not very credible. Anyone could think that they were very naive.

After receiving a warm bath and introducing himself as Timothy, a child who feels no fear or shame immediately calls them "dad" and "mom". Something that, neither oh the two has trouble getting used to.

Already, the next morning, the Greens make to know their new member at a meeting with family and friends, where they both assume, too soon, the role of parents, which is not believable. As if they have known Timothy forever and not for just a few hours.

From now on, mother and father will endeavor for every day to be worthy. They will try to convey their love and teachings, as if the kid were ordinary, and forgetting a greater detail: Timothy was not born in a belly.

This heaven-sent, helps the couple, not only to fulfill their desire of parenting, but that, in a very short term they can commit mistakes from that position, to learn from them. Timothy even helps them to confront their own demons, as they never before, have had the courage.

But not everything that glitters is gold. And Timothy´s green leaves also begin to wilt.

Something that is never quite convincing is, for what, exactly, is that the child comes to them. If the couple was then going to want to adopt, it would have been enough for them to be responsible and sincere adults, with no terminal illnesses, psychological or financial problems, for the procedures to succeed.

The entire film is told in a flashback, as the couple tells their story with Timothy, to Evette Onat (Shohreh Aghdashloo), the supervisor. Here, obviously, what we have is a duo that craves empathy and understanding. However, Onat proves to be a sensible veteran, with no time for jokers. She can only be convinced with facts expressing truths, not with children born between plants. They could have told her, for example, that he had been brought by the stork, and, so what? Should we understand she was supose to believe them, just by seeing their anguished faces?

At this point, Hedges ultimately choose an ending that has got holes, but that is happy and makes us smile. Let’s recall that his contract was with Disney, and the film, for adults and for kids.

My rating: 4/10

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"Sicker, scarier and more fun"

Title: The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence 

Year: 2011 

Genre: Horror 

Director: Tom Six 

Writer: Tom Six 

Runtime: 88min 

Cast: Lawrence H. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Maddi Black, Kandace Caine, Dominic Borrelli, Lucas Hansen, Lee Nicholas Harris, Dan Burman, Daniel Jude Gennis, Georgia Goodrick, Emma Lock, Katherine Templar, Peter Blankenstein, Vivien Bridson, Bill Hutchens 

Produc.: Six Entertainment Company 

In The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence, Martin is a security guard, who inspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser) prepares to carry out his own version of the insect. 

November of 1957. Plainfield, Wisconsin. The police investigating the disappearance of Bernice Worden checks Edward Theodore Gein’s house, which they see as a possible suspect. When they enter into his property, they find Worden´s body hanging from its ankles, beheaded and open at the torso. But, that is not all. They also find ten women’s heads, missing the top, lampshades and seats made of human skin, and soup bowls made out of skulls, among some crazy crafts. After being arrested, Ed Gein is declared mentally ill and locked up in a psychiatric. 

September of 1987. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer meets Steven Toumi in a gay bar, where they drink together; to then leave to a hotel. On The next morning Dahmer finds Toumi dead, without remembering how it was that he killed him. Right away he buys a suitcase, where he takes him to his grandmother’s basement. There he has sex with the dead body, to then dismember him and throw him away to the trash, except for his head, which he boils and bleaches, to expose it as a trophy. 

The descriptions above are brief segments of the work of two of the most famous U.S. serial murderers, and that unlike Tom Six, they “where” crazy, indeed. 

Many are those who have labelled this director of abnormal, for the grotesqueness of his movies. I, however, do not think I have seen anything to prove otherwise, than his great power of imagination. I believe that taking horror to new extremes should not be a synonym of dementia, or a reason for rejection. Being this also the case of the genre of the macabre, nothing is better than a director willing to wring our intestines. 

But... The day that I found out that Six actually experiments with people, then yes, I change my mind. Meanwhile, I keep my position. 

The image is in black and white. Two girls, attached to a corpse, suffer because of a retired surgeon who is mad as a hatter, but does not lack of anatomy knowledge. The camera, then pulls back, to get away from the scene and give way to the end credits. One cannot help it but to feel confused, until suddenly, everything becomes clear. Six places us in Martin´s booth, a parking lot security guard, who, in his notebook, has just watched the movie. 

Suddenly one notices that the chrominance is still missing. The thing is that Six had had, from the beginning, the intention of shooting both films in this way. However, only now has he implemented it. His impression of that the black and white would add a greater touch of horror, was not mistaken. 

Lawrence R. Harvey´s choice as Martin could not have been more perfect. Obese, of medium height, large eyes and broad forehead, he is more than appropriate for the role of the criminal. 

As the names of the technical team run through, thoughtfully, Martin slightly grabs his lower lip. This is a man who has seen something disgusting, and meditates on it now. What could possibly come out of this? Certainly, nothing nice. 

Moving in his chair, Martin turns away to his other monitor, where it shows was it caught by the surveillance cameras. Right off, he witnesses a couple in full dispute. Martin grabs an iron, with which he stands up, and practices the way he intends to hit them, although he carries a gun as well. 

Six also includes part of his home life. Martin lives with a mother who mistreats him, and who gets to tell him, and to another unhinged neighbor, her desire to die. In one scene she intends to kill him in his sleep, but in the end, she is the sentenced one. Nothing, she knew about, what her son was capable of. 

Yet, we have not seen the most interesting, but Six has already given us something for the impatience. 

So far, The Human Centipede II has almost no dialogue. Whether Martin´s at home, or outside, we only hear him utter grunts or screams of rage. Great choice of a director, who has known how to, make use of the silences. 

Long before the title sequence arrives, Six dedicates his good space to the gathering of victims, and he does not exaggerate. In this way we appreciate the declining health of Martin, to whom Lawrence´s very good interpretation assures as a tenebrous atmosphere and a character that scares. We are also delighted with some scenes of tension and suspense, which Six includes without hesitation. When sweaty, attacked by the asthma, and unable to hit a pregnant woman, Martin uses the inhaler; Six has made his character to even disgust us. What happens is that Martin is ugly, aesthetically displeasing, has a pervert´s look, that is visible from a mile away, and above all, still has to do his project. 

Once we have assimilated all these traits, we understand that no athletic and well dressed Patrick Bateman American Psycho (2000) would have had the same effect. 

Martin could be criticized for many things, but never for the lack of effort. His close study of Tom Six´s flick, has led him to build a folder with notes. In it is where he keeps his drawings, about how to perform the procedures. 

Every day, he gathers new unfortunates in his hiding, whom he delivers to the obscurity of the almost abandonment, to hear others muffled screams, or to join them. 

On one occasion in which he is preparing one of the bodies, another victim manages to scream: is just a movie! from his underprivileged position, as if that would change a thing. 

Then, comes the long-awaited moment. Martin has already got the twelve pieces. These, scattered across the floor, terrified, wait for the inevitable to happen, gagged, sweaty, grimy, tearful and starving. The most fun game in which Martin has ever participated, is about to begin. From here on out will far exceed that of Dr. Heiter. The only thing, though, is that it will be messier. Martin, nothing knows about anatomy, his victims will not be sedated before being joined together, nor his method will demonstrate any skill. 

Wich his first film, Six gave shape to, what had started as a joke between friends, although, not squeezing it enough. With this sequel he gets instead to reshape and give better (and higher) dimensions, to his idea, to frighten, and simultaneously, delight us. Six discards a colorful photography, and used the spoken word only, as a last resort. 

If I had to mention any problem, I would say that the fact that Martin was inspired by a movie has sincerely, been for me needless. We are given to understand that he takes up the idea of the centipede, after having seen Tom Six´s The Human Centipede I. So, Six has designed a universe where Martin inhabits. A person who is, indeed, deranged, and willing to imitate, now yes, what he´s seen in a product of fiction, written, directed and produced by this director. Six could have left them both, Heiter and Martin, to be part of same universe, and thus avoid us seeing his name in hi security guard´s notebook. 

My rating: 8/10

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