Cassandra is a young woman who lives with her wealthy photographer father and fashion designer mother. She finds out accidentally about her father's affair with a fashion model, but this is a minor problem that's facing her. She is now having unsettling nightmare visions. These visions are somewhat connected to her past and strangely the present. Her parents seem terribly uncomfortable about her obsession of what she is seeing and her discovery about their family's secret.
Pure visionary is brought to the screen in director Colin (Long Weekend) Eggleston's very moody and seriously spooky minor budget Australian thriller "Cassandra". I hadn't seen it in ages, but its still visually arresting and stylishly done with its ominous punch and novel techniques. There's patient handling all round and that creeps up in its torpid pacing, which unquestionably has some flagging spots. But this subtleness makes way for some forebodingly suspenseful set pieces that provide quick and concise jolts with grisly intension, but without the real need of showing us. For some that factor might be a huge downer, but how they fuse the violence with the disquieting material and chilling atmosphere payed dividends in the set-up. This was helped a lot by Ian Mason's unworldly hum-dinger of a music score that was effectively placed to achieve unbearable tension with cunning unease. Gary Wapshott's kinetic photography gracefully glides and professionally frames some beautifully striking locations. There was a true addiction to POV shots here, though they were neatly staged. The complicatedly progressive (but unoriginal) story by Colin Eggleston, Christopher Flitchett and John Ruane works upon the little things by trying to surprise the viewer with outlandish twists and wayward developments. It's flawed, as it does chop and change a bit and lose sight of its intriguing mystery to fall in the final third. With common slasher traits (red herrings get a real work out) and a predictable revelation that limps into a sudden climax that's plain dumbfounding. A slasher film at heart it is, but it's trying to be much more and it does come off (well sort of) in parts. Most of the performances are nicely judged and credible. Debut actress Tessa Humphries works the role of Cassandra terrifically and invokes a compelling turn. Shane Briant and Briony Behets are substantially good in their parts as the parents.
Substance might be little, but this effort is a surprisingly decent exercise and has some imagination in its editing and visuals flashes to share. Well worth the look.
Pure visionary is brought to the screen in director Colin (Long Weekend) Eggleston's very moody and seriously spooky minor budget Australian thriller "Cassandra". I hadn't seen it in ages, but its still visually arresting and stylishly done with its ominous punch and novel techniques. There's patient handling all round and that creeps up in its torpid pacing, which unquestionably has some flagging spots. But this subtleness makes way for some forebodingly suspenseful set pieces that provide quick and concise jolts with grisly intension, but without the real need of showing us. For some that factor might be a huge downer, but how they fuse the violence with the disquieting material and chilling atmosphere payed dividends in the set-up. This was helped a lot by Ian Mason's unworldly hum-dinger of a music score that was effectively placed to achieve unbearable tension with cunning unease. Gary Wapshott's kinetic photography gracefully glides and professionally frames some beautifully striking locations. There was a true addiction to POV shots here, though they were neatly staged. The complicatedly progressive (but unoriginal) story by Colin Eggleston, Christopher Flitchett and John Ruane works upon the little things by trying to surprise the viewer with outlandish twists and wayward developments. It's flawed, as it does chop and change a bit and lose sight of its intriguing mystery to fall in the final third. With common slasher traits (red herrings get a real work out) and a predictable revelation that limps into a sudden climax that's plain dumbfounding. A slasher film at heart it is, but it's trying to be much more and it does come off (well sort of) in parts. Most of the performances are nicely judged and credible. Debut actress Tessa Humphries works the role of Cassandra terrifically and invokes a compelling turn. Shane Briant and Briony Behets are substantially good in their parts as the parents.
Substance might be little, but this effort is a surprisingly decent exercise and has some imagination in its editing and visuals flashes to share. Well worth the look.