One of the complaints we usually have about cinema today is that there are no new stories and the comfort that the authors have taken for granted. mainstream when reporting. Sometimes, it seems that most of the films we consume are cut from the same roof and placed under a strict structure where there is no room for improvisation. It’s increasingly difficult to find new voices in a sea of sequels, prequels, restart, espionage or in the straitjackets that “genre cinema” often imposes (which, for times, seems to adhere more to an algorithm than to the creativity of a living person). Despite this, from time to time, brave filmmakers emerge who manage hack the system, subverting our expectations of certain arguments and producing combinations that shine for their rarity. It is in this series that we get top films like From dusk till dawn, Shaun of the Dead o zombie country, black swans that come to revive hackneyed species, breaking the molds without any fear. It is precisely in this line where we find Abigaila rara avis which avoids any classification due to the integration of heterogeneous elements.
Told as normal heist movie, Abigail introduces us to a group of thieves with a series of special abilities: Sammy (Kathryn Newton), a a hacker with the views of Gen Z; Frank (Dan Stevens), a former police officer with psychopathic traits; Peter (Kevin Durand), the regular muscular man, but with a good heart; Dean (Angus Cloud), a a mason does not fit the team; Rickles (William Catlett), the “gun man” who is not trusted by everyone; and Joey (Melissa Barrera), a former junkie who is very sharp at reading people. This special team is assembled by a mysterious criminal named Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to kidnap Abigail (Alisha Weir), the daughter of a tycoon from whom they plan to extort millions of dollars. Once the objective is secured, the only thing the group has to do is watch the girl for a whole night in a mansion far from civilization. Although the mission is very simple and too good to be true, things become complicated when the kidnappers discover that they have been deceived and find themselves trapped in a deadly trap.
Guy Busick wrote (Scream VI, Ready or No) and Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Earth), Abigail adopting norms from multiple subspecies (hatch, comedyheist, action, horror, drama, vampires) and mix them to give us a narrative experience that, although there are codes we recognize, is new and interesting to us. Starting with the main diverse characters that are presented to us as if it were the group of The Reservoir Dogs, but which are as if they had come out of a criminal version of The Breakfast Club; continues with the construction of the antagonist who seems to be a hybrid between Claudia from Interview with the vampire and Freddy Krueger – likes to hunt dumb teenagers -; to the position remembering Smokin’ Aces as a tribute to Elizabeth Báthory (with blood in her stomach) made by Sam Raimi: the script from Abigail It is a clear definition of what postmodern cinema is. This strange cocktail produces a story whose premise seems implausible and impossible, but whose ingenious and self-aware development leads to a successful conclusion.
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet (duo responsible for Scream VI, Ready or Not), Abigail He is a worthy exponent of how the self-confidence of B-class cinema (once seen as insignificant) can be revived on current filming. Through their platform that relies on well-known tropes, but escapes from a strict label, their management creates vessels of communication between seemingly disparate records, with a kind of marque patent that allows them to explore and play the story to finish that ending. inconceivable without breaking the fictional agreement with the viewer (who, with a clear sense of what he sees, accepts unusual situations between laughter and shock). His filigree work is thus, despite the creation of a pastiche of references pop, At no point do they miss the mark. In fact, at the end of the screening, all viewers will be able to reach a consensus that no one else could make a film as strange and as good as work. Abigail. Of course, a key piece of this kit is the edition by Michael P. Shawver (Black Panther, Creed, A Quiet Place Part II) who are able to change records without difficulty in the same scene, moving like a fish in water between very brutal action sequences, fear of jumping y one line funny ones that make us breathe and release tension (creating gradients on the emotional scale of the story and not “divisions” that would compromise its instability).
Despite such a hooligan plot, there is beauty Abigail It is impeccable. Aaron Morton Cinema (The First Omen, Black Mirror. Bandersnatch, Now Won’t Save You) makes every frame of the film stylish, well-made and attractive. Moving away from the tacky light that sometimes characterizes B movies, Morton flirts with a visual proposal that has nothing to envy to the best recent horror films, creating an ominous atmosphere that against the casualness with which the characters interact story. Production design by Susie Cullen (who works on period television series such as Jericho, The Lady Vanishes, Little Women making it a good choice for this film) is also luxurious. Just as directors play with different dramatic registers, Cullen manages to blend modernity and nineteenth-century beauty into a type of house/castle that varies from “man’s mansion rich” to “death trap” (with such different sets, although it seems impossible for them to be together in one place, they have a common thread in their color palette that allows us their assimilation sensibly in the same place/time).
Contrary to what you might expect from this kind of experimental cinema, performance at Abigail They are surprisingly good. Beyond the wonderful work that the casting in maintaining a believable emotional record when not everything that happens around him, his great success is in giving us “special” characters of the genre and in developing the script to build them to depth to provide them with their reserves. In fact the whole cast is great – which is a rarity when it comes to such diverse “ensembles”. Dan Stevens can be, at times, disgusting with his character, but at the same time he often represents the point of view of the most skeptical observer (the same as William Catlett). Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand and Angus Cloud act perfectly as comic relief, but each one does it from different types of humor (impossible not to feel cold when seeing that this was the last role played by Cloud before his tragic death). Giancarlo Esposito, although he is still bored in his role as a cold, monosyllabic and mortal boss, here he allows himself to explore another type of record towards the end of the story – and that is very much appreciated. Melissa Barrera brings to life the most “real” character in the whole story, adding some drama to the famous film – in the right amount. Of course, the big surprise of Abigail there is Alisha Weir, a superhero who gives life to a character who, in turn, incarnates another (going in the blink of an eye from a defenseless girl to a bloodthirsty psychopath). In addition to the challenging nature of her performance – where she has to dance, use prosthetics, fill herself with blood, run, scream, fight, etc. – she appears in the most surprising moments of the plot and it does not “take it out” of the story: For its performance alone the film pays for itself.
Following in the footsteps of Robert Rodríguez, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter, directors Abigail They blur the boundaries between genres, mix conventions and create an extremely fun and original experience. Of course, these kinds of experiments are not for everyone, those purists who only like conventional cinema will be shocked, but those who like new ways of doing the same tell old stories very interesting with violence, humor and cough. Abigail. Blood letters, vampire girl in a tutu, sort of Battle Royale where hunters are hunted and meditation on redemption and father-fiddler relationships have never occurred in the same narrative space. In an era where everything seems to be cut from the same cloth, Abigail It shows us that postmodern cinema has a lot to offer.
The best: its foundation and twist of scripture. The comedy-filled action scenes and hatch. The diverse characters and their performances. Alisha Weir’s incredible performance. The setting in which the whole story takes place is amazing.
The bad: he trailer He tells too many details about the plot that he would have been better off not knowing to surprise us. Matthew Goode’s participation is very brief and leaves you wanting to see a little more of his character.
About the Author:
Luis Bond is a director, screenwriter, editor and teacher. Since 2010 he has dedicated himself to film criticism on the web, radio and in print publications. He is an approved critic with Tomatometer in Rotten tomatoes (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/luis-bond/movies ). His training in film is supplemented by studies in deep analytical psychology and symbolism.
Twitter (X), Instagram, Threads, TikTok: @luisbond009
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2024-04-18 02:49:49
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