When people think of Troma movies they don't think about the real life horror of homelessness, drug addiction, war PTSD, and unemployment. This is a perfect low-budget independent film. It made me feel scared because of how real everything seemed and how plausible it was to me. The movie goes out of its way to show the graffitied, grimy overpasses and underpasses of Staten Island which are a real part of any city. This movie also makes great use of a nightmare logic where A PTSD and drug ridden former soldier can't seem to separate his nightmares from real life. As the movie goes on it also has some practical effects and bloody gunshot violence that reminded me of the violence in movies like the Godfather and Taxi Driver.
The Film starts with former soldier Frankie Dunlan (Rick Giovinazzo) having a nightmare to his time in the Vietnam war. There is something very surreal about this nightmare. For most of the time he is alone and all of the sudden bombs will be falling and then they won't, Vietnamese soldiers will be around and they won't. It is nightmare logic where you don't know if he is reliving anything or having a complete nightmare. Once Frankie wakes up he has arguments with his wife Cathy (Veronica Stork). Everything about their living situation is a disaster. Their milk is spoiled, wallpaper is crumbling, their toilet is clogged. Frankie has been out of work for four months and they are starving. Worse, their baby is a mutant of sorts and when we see it basically looks like an alien combined with a baby. The way it keeps crying at random times combined with how it looks reminded me of Eraserhead.
Frankie takes a trip into town to go to the Department of Labor office. Along the way he has flashbacks to arguments with his father where his father was against him having black people as friends and marrying Cathy. It seems as though they have not spoken since the war. Dripping water in sinks gives him PTSD attacks. We see once he was taken prisoner. Once he was wounded and kept in a hospital for three years.
Frankie owes money to the local drug dealer and loan shark, Paco. While going into town he is harassed and beaten up by Paco and his two goons. Later his friend Mike is also harassed by Paco. Mike ends up dying near some train tracks after overdosing. Meanwhile Frankie goes to the division of labor and the agent there says he doesn't have enough skill to get a job and should go back to school and learn a trade.
I like how this movie goes over the vicious cycle of addiction. Frankie may have gotten addicted to morphine during the Vietnam war. He has no money but yet we know he has spent it on drugs before. He has no job and another kid on the way, a kid he shouldn't have had, which feels real. What makes Frankie different from his friend Mike is that he fought in a war and has nothing to show for it. He has no benefits, no job or other skill that can be used to live, and he is tortured by PTSD and in turn drug abuse because of it. Mike later points out to him that the possibility of going to jail is better than living the way they live. That inspires Frankie to steal a prostitute's purse later. Before that happens though, one of the few moments of serenity happens in this movie where Frankie meets a child prostitute in the street and just has fun talking to her for a minute. We learn she is managed by Paco. That scene of just the two of them together is quite short but it joins one of my favorite moments in movies, the happy moments in movies that are otherwise depressing or you just know they won't go well for the main character. Movies like the Hermit and the monster eating and drinking in the Bride of Frankenstein. Frankie eventually calls his father for help which is a another great dramatic moment. Frankie's father had though he was dead because he was declared K.I.A. Frankie's dad cannot help though because he is dying of a heart condition and has lost his business and money as a result. They do share a nice apology and goodbyes.
Spoiler Section
Eventually when Frankie steals the prostitute's purse he is seen and pursued by Paco and his goons. The prostitute had taken Mike's gun earlier when she found his body near the train tracks. Frankie uses the gun to shoot Paco and his two goons. There is some awesome slow motion gunshot blood squibs in that moment. Similar to Taxi Driver it is one of the more heroic moments for Frankie as you know the child prostitutes might have a chance to a better life with Paco gone. It also revealed at this time that Frankie's company had encountered a Vietnamese village that all committed suicide, afraid to be killed or raped by American soldiers. Frankie believes he must "save" his family from the same fate. He goes home and kills his wife by shooting her and then puts his baby in the oven. It should be noted he fist shoots his wife right in the stomach where his baby is. When he gets home I do like the showed framing of ilm that happens he replays his Vietnam experiences in his mind, almost like being in a movie theater. When the police come to his house, Frankie commits suicide and I love the brain splatter going all over the wall, but also the leaking blood coming from his brain on the impact. One of the best headshots ever. A hell of a way to end this. It should be noted to that before Frankie dies he takes a drink from the spoiled milk which is like yogurt at point. The milk is a symbol for his life, spoiled and expired.
I just loved the relentlessness of this movie. A real portrayal of what can happen to someone if they don't get help either because of addiction or PTSD. The real life horror of not being able to feed your family, not having a place to live, not being able to get a job, and being harassed by people you need to pay debts to. It just feels real and raw and scarier than most horror movies that aren't as relatable. I do enjoy some of the synth music by Frankie himself, Rick Giovinazzo.
Rating: 10/10
Trivia: The Vietnam war flashback scenes were shot in the swamps of Staten Island. Buddy Giovinazzo borrowed lights and camera equipment from teaching film school to make the movie. He also used money from his wedding to finance it.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLZQJh3MUYk
Watch this movie here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFg7jaBwR4E I would highly recommend getting the Troma Now streaming service free trial and watching a more upscaled and cleaned up version there.
No comments:
Post a Comment