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Slamdance 2023 Unseen Films review: The Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize winner, ‘The Underbug’

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THE UNDERBUG

The Underbug is a moody thriller about two men on either side of sectarian violence in India stumbling into a strange house. The house is deserted or seems to be, except for the men who are soon faced with problems greater than themselves.

This is a great looking tense “horror” film about the things that go bump in the night and the evil that lurks in men’s hearts. It’s a film that you must see as big as possible and with as few distractions as you can manage (a darkened theater would be perfect.) I really loved much of this film. This is a perfectly made thriller with some genuine chills in it. Actually, it has more chills in its 68 minutes than most Hollywood thrillers that run twice its length.

The only flaw in the film is the politics. While there is nothing wrong with the inclusion of the references on the face of it, some of it seems to be a tad heavy-handed. No, the references aren’t constant, it’s more that a number of the references seem to be there to remind us that more is going on than scares.

That said, this is one of the moodiest horror films that I’ve seen in years. Every frame from the first to the last has chilling beauty to it.

A must-see for horror films, especially for anyone who wants one that isn’t your typical one.

For me of Steve’s amazing coverage, head to UnseenFilms.com
 

Slamdance 2023 Unseen Films review: ‘Where is the Lie?’

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Where is the Lie?

WHERE IS THE LIE is a really good film. A look at love in the modern age it’s based on a true story film where a woman named Jazen breaks up with her boyfriend. Turning to a dating app she meets the perfect guy who ends up ghosting her. However, what is going on is something else entirely.

I don’t know all of the details of the actual events, and I don’t really care because what is on screen in WHERE IS THE LIE is really good. A look at life and dating in today’s world shines a light on a lot of places that we may not be contemplating, such as catfishing games set up by people with too much time on their hands. It’s the sort of thing that makes me glad I’m too old for those sorts of games.

I really liked WHERE IS THE LIE. The cast headed up by EJ Jallorina is super. We really like pretty much everyone and they pull us into all the mystery of what is going on. I was hooked early and when it was done I wanted to go back and take another ride.

One of the things that I loved was that this film which is very much tied to technology and apps actually manages to use the cinema screen to replicate what we the characters are seeing on their phones and devices. This may not sound like much but more and more in films, we are flashed visuals that are supposed to be a phone or tablet or computer screen, and more often than not the filmmakers don’t manage to make it movie friendly. Yes, we are seeing what the characters are doing but it’s not cinematic. It’s intrusive with a lot of stuff we don’t need. Here director Quark Henares designs the shots so that we both get a sense of what is on the screens the characters are looking at but we also get something that works cinematically. That may sound like a small thing but it’s not, because too often the technology shots simply don’t blend into the film as a whole.

This is a super film. I had a good time. It made me laugh and it made me think about love, the madness of these times, and the crazy things people do.

I want to say more but I don’t want to give anything away. There are a couple of turns I didn’t see coming and I don’t want to spoil anything.

This is a gem.