Echelon Studios
Singa
R1 DVD
Ossessione
is an enigmatic and ethereal film from French director Guillaume Beylard; the
film has a dream-like quality so that even the simplest of scenes seem imbued
with mood and atmosphere. The classical music score is excellent and really
sustains the ambience of the film and the beauty of the scenery. The acting is
solid and the sub titles are very clear. It is his Beylard’s first film, shot on
a low budget but with a lot of creativity and sincerity. It has surprisingly
superior cinematography which captures the French countryside and its rustic
character and the director certainly knows how to use lighting to maximum
effect.
Sonia
has just inherited a house from her grandmother, it is located in the southwest
of France and together with her boyfriend, David, they settle in for the long
journey. As they approach the town, they see a bloodied young woman on the road
ahead, but when they stop for her she runs off into the bushes. This begins a
series of strange events which increase in intensity as they enter the house
and Sonia begins to have uncomfortable feelings and hear noises which terrify
her. Their encounters with the locals do not help either. Slowly Sonia becomes
convinced there is a presence in the house and wants to immediately leave, but
David is sceptical of her accounts and convinces her to stay.
However,
when Sonia gets kidnapped, David begins to believe something is going on and decides
to investigate with the hope of finding his girlfriend. From this point on the
film combines fantasy and horror and moves quickly from an atmospheric and
moody work of cinema into something more sinister.
David’s
investigation leads him to rather bizarre and disturbing characters, some
terrifying experiences, unexpected help and a truth from beyond the grave.
While
Ossessione may be low budget fair, it certainly excels in the creativity
department with quite impressive mood, atmosphere and plot. I certainly
recommend it.
Available
from Singa at http://store.singahe.com/ossessione.html
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