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BUFF23 review: ‘MISTER ORGAN’ is a terrifying and infuriating story of a con man.

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MISTER ORGAN

Journalist David Farrier takes audiences on a baffling five-year story that began as a car park scam that swiftly became the investigation into the chase of a professional con man. Michael Organ is a master manipulator, a gaslighter, a world twister, and a terrifying person. He can spot a victim in an instant. He is an evil parasite.

Farrier is fearless. He faces the monster head-on by inviting Michael to participate in the investigation under the guise of a documentary. Feigning dumb, Farrier allows Organ to blow smoke, knowing full well that every word is a lie. Weaving in interviews with a barrage of former roommates and targets in between, most of whom are terrified to show their faces in fear of retaliation. We see a picture of a devious man doing as he pleases to intimidate everyone.

Organ’s favorite thing is to hear the sound of his voice. He is a sociopath. He reminds me of Trump. Farrier’s ability to sit in on the long conversations astounds me. We feel his palpable exhaustion, confusion, and frustration. Digging into Organ’s family, Farrier hits a wall. No one wants to talk. Will this con artist ever see real consequences? David Farrier sums the experience up for the audience. “Michael Organ is a black hole, and I’ve fallen in.” BUFF23 audiences are not ready for the madness.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2023

BUFF 2023 review: ‘SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING’ is Quentin Dupieux at his finest.

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SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING

Keep an Eye Out and Incredible But True director and master of the absurd, Quentin Dupieux, brings his latest film, SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING, to BUFF 2023 audiences. A brilliant bait-and-switch, this bizarre superhero team film is not what it seems.

Structured as a deranged knockoff of the Power Rangers, the film follows the superhero crew Tobacco Force. Ordered to go on retreat to recharge their relationship, their Chief, a scrawny puppet akin to TMNT Master Splinter, warns them of the ultimate intergalactic evil. Within the larger narrative, the film soon pivots to a campfire story anthology, each tale wilder than the last. Murder, mayhem, an industrial accident, and forbidden love all mix in Dupieux’s most bizarre film yet.

Quentin Dupieux’s style screams off the screen. You never know what weirdness comes next. He makes it a habit of pushing the envelope. The limit does not exist in his dialogue. Jokes often go on for longer than the audience expects. That is quintessential Dupieux. SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING is yet another over-the-top entry, and BUFF23 audiences are in for an unforgettable time. Heads up, stick around for the credits.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2023

BUFF 2023 review: ‘THE UNHEARD’ takes sensory overload to the extreme.

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THE UNHEARD

Jeffrey A Brown  (The Beach House) brings B7FF 2023 audiences THE UNHEARD. The film follows Chloe, a young deaf woman who undergoes an experimental treatment to restore her hearing. While recuperating at her family’s beach house, auditory hallucinations and family secrets haunt her. Writers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen explore the impact of sound in everyday life through a series of heartache and small-town mystery.

Disability recognition and accessibility weren’t something I gave too much energy to until my son was diagnosed with ASD. I’ve found myself an advocate these past seven years, bringing attention to neurodiversity and education. THE UNHEARD gives audiences a taste of living with a disability in a straightforward and equally creative way. The Rasmussens understood the assignment and heightened the issue with a supernatural thriller.

Brendan Meyer (The Friendship Game) plays Joshua with a gentle approach. He deserves more screen time. Lachlan Watson (Only The Good Survive) is sensational. They handle the physical and emotional weight like a pro, weaving in and out of pain, fear, and curiosity at any moment.

The Unheard has meticulous sound editing. The silence places us into the mindset of Chloe. It is jarring at first but draws your attention to everything minute detail. You find yourself more cognisant of every noise. THE UNHEARD boasts clever cinematography, subconsciously building a claustrophobic environment with tight shots and the alarmingly quiet Cape Cod off-season location. It’s a slow-burn mystery that puts you through the wringer. BUFF 2023 audiences got an all-sensory experience, and Shudder subscribers are in for something unnerving.

THE UNHEARD streams on SHUDDER on March 31st.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2023

BUFF 2023 review: ‘STAND BY FOR FAILURE: A NEGATIVLAND DOCUMENTARY’ walks a brilliant tightrope between art and culture.

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STAND BY FOR FAILURE: A NEGATIVLAND DOCUMENTARY

BUFF 2023 documentary feature STAND BY FOR FAILURE is an acid trip in creativity. An explosion of overlapping media and audio, jump cuts, and dissolves are mind-bending. Filmmaker Ryan Worsley takes us on a journey through Willy Wonka’s creepy ass tunnel whether or not we want to ride. Welcome to the world of Negativland.

David Wills, Don Joyce, Ian Allen, Tim Maloney, Chris Grigg, Mark Hosler, Peter Dayton, Jon Leidecker, Mark Gergis, Peter Conheim, and Richard Lyons embrace creativity to make things that have never existed before. Mixing home videos, commercial clips, photographs, and creative sound editing of everyday items like a toilet flush, Negativland comes to life. Beginning in 1980, bizarre albums and a radio show with live on-air mixing caught an unexpected audience’s attention. A lawsuit with U2 over some cover art got them a different kind of attention. Negativland turned that into a book. These guys are smart. Negativland exposes the intersection of culture and profit.

Immaculate editing from Worsley wows from the very first frame. The film includes videos from their live stage shows and studio time. It is fascinating to witness their genius in real-time. The film slyly reveals how the media sculpts our perception of life. You might not immediately realize how relevant the film is today. David Wills’ ramblings teeter on the edge of madness and insanity. Are we witnessing an unstable person’s stream of consciousness or an artist holding a mirror up to society? Who’s to say? As a whole, the band, and the film, are unafraid to cross the line and blow your mind.

As a theatre kid, a singer in a ska band, a podcaster, a writer, and a general weirdo, the film is tailor-made for my sensibilities. It is hypnotizing. It deserves a watch in IMAX or a planetarium. For maximum effect, it should show in every modern art museum. STAND BY FOR FAILURE: A NEGATIVLAND DOCUMENTARY is an undisputed must-see.

Boston Underground Film Festival 2023