Ever walk through a tunnel and not remember yourself on the other side? Ever wonder what those weird sounds you hear are that seem like they’re coming through the walls or ceilings when you walk underground? Absentia is a different kind of horror film which scares you with suggestion rather than exposure. There’s something going on here but nobody knows what! As the tension builds, some thoughts become uncovered but no one can believe what they see or hear…
Tricia (Courtney Bell) lives in a dodgy neighborhood and her husband has been missing for seven years. She’s done everything she could to find him but she’s been going to a shrink and thinks it’s about time to move on. Her recovering addict sister, Callie (Katie Parker), comes to live with her and assist her with the paperwork and transition away from the life which she knew. However, the longer Callie stays there, the more curious she becomes and starts investigating the weird disappearances in the area including Tricia’s husband. Tricia has been seeing things but that’s obviously because of the depression. But what the hell is Callie seeing?
Callie (Katie Parker) in the tunnel
I loved the way Absentia kept everyone in the unknown as well as the audience. As they slowly gave out information of what could be going on, they had the police officers in the story to keep it real and skeptical. They offered other alternatives of what could have happened to the people in the film as well as what the characters were seeing. They even shot these glimpses of storytelling to give it more substance rather than just a narrative. Detective Mallory (Dave Levine) is the main source of this skepticism but by the end can’t even believe the excuses he’s coming up with.
Tricia (Courtney Bell) and Callie (Katie Parker) in Absentia
Writer and Director Mike Flanagan did an amazing job with such a small budget (this movie was a Kickstarter project). The special effects looked great and the story wasn’t hindered by the low budget. It may have actually been helped since the key to the film was the absence of explanation which is great because the whole story is about absence. The movie gets incredibly tense at times and you just want to know what’s happening or what’s out there…but you have no choice but to just keep watching and find out.
Absentia plays tonight at 9:20pm and again on Sunday, June 12th at 5:20pm.
This post is part of our ANITH coverageEvery year, the ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD FILM FESTIVAL unleashes the best dark fantasy, horror/comedy, sci-fi, bizarro-vision cinema in San Francisco. 2011 is no exception — AHITH, PART 8 will throw up 26 features and 15 short films onto the screen at the Roxie Theater, the beating heart of horror starting June 2 through June 17.Visit SF INDIEFEST’s Official Website
Tags: Absentia, AHITH, Another Hole in the Head, Part 8, Courtney Bell, Dave Levine, Katie Parker, Mike Flanagan
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
