directed by:
David Durrant written by: David Durrant genre: Horror |
I got stuck on this quote from Charles Darwin that pops up onscreen before the credits even roll on “Ocelli,” which reads: “The rapid development, as far as we can judge, of all higher plants within recent geological times is an abominable mystery.” I started thinking to myself, “abominable” - is that what he really meant? Far be it from me to question the guy who formed the theory of evolution and all, but I thought words like “abominable” were only used to describe really, really big snowmen and bad things. The only plant I know that would qualify for such an adjective is on sale in the “Little Shop of Horrors.” For real - I was genuinely perplexed by why Darwin would have been so incensed about plants up high.
I’m used to being confused, though, so that’s okay. I recognize there is a vast majority of people on Earth that are way smarter than I’ll ever be, and that I don’t have enough time left in order to make up the distance between our intelligence. So when Writer/Director David Durrant’s film “Ocelli” started quickly delving into terrain and ideas I know practically nothing about, I knew I’d be in for a bit of a battle when it came to understanding this movie, if I would even end up being lucky to grasp any of it at all. As I’ve mentioned in many reviews here at IndyRed, though, we don’t always need to understand everything in order to be able to enjoy something. It didn’t even take five minutes into “Ocelli” before I knew that this would be the kind of movie I’d want to watch, regardless of whether any of it would end up making sense to me. David’s got a brilliantly stylistic way of showing us what he wants to be seen, and from the black & white shots, to the narration, to the illustrations - I was immediately on the edge of my seat and paying full attention. “Ocelli” starts out with a recounting of a story about a witch being burned. I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall ever hearing one of those tales that were justified. What a weird time of history that would have been to be a part of, where one person’s accusation would be another’s death. Real evidence was a rare luxury that was hardly afforded to the accused back then, and one can only imagine how many women were burned at the stake for doing nothing at all. Cue the curious modern-day podcaster, who, of course, just wants to get to the truth of the matter like they all do, right? Such an admirable profession, truly. Is my sarcasm coming through okay? You’re all picking that up? Good good. Deep out in the woods, there are accounts of moving trees, but that’s only been witnessed from the outside looking in. Our fearless podcaster charges on forward, determined to get the scoop, leaving behind the child–yes, child–that was his lead tipster helping him find “Watchers Woods.” Because who doesn’t trust a child when it comes to folklore, mysteries, and accurate historical information, right? Alright, I’ll admit that was a weird direction for “Ocelli” to start with, but there was still no way that I was turning my head away & I was no less interested than I was at the very beginning. Eliza Weaver is where the original tale comes from: “who left these woods in absolute panic, telling tales of being grabbed by the trees and barely making it out alive.” There’s a physical component to this story of course, considering the trees could potentially grab onto ya - but from what Miller (David Durrant) will tell you, there’s also a psychological aspect as well, where the trees can seep into your mind and potentially show you things that might be relevant, or apparitions that simply might not be there at all. Lots of grainy & distorted footage follows as Miller pokes into every bush and eerie hole along the way, and static-laced audio coming through his handheld radio that seems to suggest there’s something else there with him, somewhere. I could watch stuff like this all day - Durrant has this all looking incredible, and I loved the way he’s used the audio to great effect in order to establish the mysterious mood here. Soon enough, with so many shots of him wandering through the woods, we have to wonder if the trees themselves are actually the ones filming Miller, and not the other way around, as he originally intended. Durrant’s got a wicked visual style that’s genuinely badass to experience. The definition of “Ocelli” itself is quite intriguing. The basic gist, if I’m understanding it correctly, is that it’s a vine that can basically mimic the look of any other “leaf that hosts it.” So there you go: this helps us understand the original quote from Darwin at the start of the film and confirms that plant-life is making a strange leap in evolution that we’d neither expect nor be prepared for as human beings. Hence, the potential danger I’d suppose, and right on cue, it ain’t long before Miller is dashing through the woods, afraid of the possibility of someone else following him. The kid, Tobias (Ben Kelly), decides to leave the car where he was stationed to wait for Miller to come back, and we begin to get the feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong - it’s really more of a matter of who it’s going to happen to at this point. The woods are such a perfectly deceptive adversary for the senses. You could go outside right now, wherever you live, stare into a forest & likely feel like you saw something moving. So, do I understand Miller’s growing level of fear and paranoia based on that? Absolutely - you bet I do. Durrant does a great job bringing us into that feeling through his acting, his direction, and the very look of his film. From close-ups to creepy dolls, to things moving that really shouldn’t be, “Ocelli” gets weird.
Durrant has also used time-lapse footage in spots, so he has US looking just as hard into the leaves to see if there’s something else that we should be seeing along the way, and I loved that. I think his use of audio in “Ocelli” from the music, to the radios, to the narration, to all the strangest moments along the way that feature creepy ass sounds and backward voices & such…it’s all fantastically effective stuff and makes a massive impact on the entire atmosphere & the lurking danger he presents in this film. There will be several scenes where you’re watching something, but you have no real idea of what it is, or any way to figure out what it is that you’re seeing through the collection of bizarre, distorted imagery. “Ocelli” gets stranger and stranger, until you start to wonder if you’re going to end up in a Kafka-esque tale, where by the end we’ll be tangled in vines that all look like Miller & slithering around in the woods. “Ocelli” also gets legitimately scary in its vivid visual craft - watching this movie is like stepping right into a whole different world, where the folklore comes alive with the kind of realness that can reach out and touch you. We all need another reason or two to be totally shit-scared of the woods at night, don’t we? Is the madness of the woods any different from that of cabin fever, or any other types of temporary insanity that we know of? I won’t spoil that for you…you’ll have to try to figure that out for yourself as you watch “Ocelli.” Suffice it to say, Durrant’s got ideas on how to make this both real and surreal for you to experience at the very same time. Reality gets distorted altogether, and it’s not all that easy to figure out what’s real and what’s not by the end of this film…but isn’t blurring the lines in that regard what great folklore is really all about? I felt like Durrant did the genre and style of story proud by what he’s put together here. I am far from suggesting that everyone would get “Ocelli” or even like it if I’m being entirely honest with ya - but I absolutely enjoyed it. It’s got an authenticity to it that I appreciate, and it felt like a fresh story. It’s as confusing as it’s intended to be, but that’s part of the magic here and one of the main reasons you’ll continue to watch this story unfold. “Ocelli” gets three & a half stars out of five from me…for as strange as it appears, it’s a stunningly artistic film that delivers on its intentions. |
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