I finally got the chance to see the deliciously goopy HEIR from 2015 and loved it. Where to begin?!
We have a cast of three in this odd, visual tale about a very disturbing meet up between a man, his son, and a very disturbing Bill Oberst Jr. Something isn't right - we know that much, but exactly how wrong things are becomes shockingly apparent rather quickly. I don't want to say much more than that.
Robert Nolan's performance as the Father in the piece is grand as well. The pairing of Nolan - with a seemingly good nature and kindness in his eyes - with the snake-like menace that Oberst brings into play makes for a fantastic amount of tension and dread on screen. The acting really set this as a solid film. The lack of a clearly defined "here's exactly what's happening" storyline may upset some, but the fact that the tale is woven far enough to let the viewer actively try to sort out what's going on made me very happy and reminded me of 1983's Cronenberg classic VIDEODROME in many ways - especially is amazing body horror packed into this 14 minute chiller. There is clearly a huge backstory here and the fact that it's not handed to you was something that I found to be very interesting. "What the hell is up here?" It was grand to see such a well executed return of body horror within HEIR. It's well done and had my upper lip curled back in a sneer as I watched muttering a low, "Ewww...." under my breath. Ha! Fun stuff.
Richard Powell's writing and Direction is fluid and nightmarish. The visuals play out as the kinetic camerawork captures the events in a stylish, yet simple way. The viewer is allowed to float along as a witness to the strange events playing out without being subjected to an obnoxious, jump scare inducing score or overly jumpy camera moves.
I loved HEIR and can not wait to take in Powell's other short FAMILIAR soon.
(( I ended up watching it RIGHT after I posted this - I couldn't wait! ))
We really need a feature film!
HEIR TEASER https://youtu.be/mGqipCK6uQg
Hey Malcolm,
ReplyDeleteI was delighted to read your review of HEIR - you liked the same things I did about this project: the body horror and (especially) the fact that the director Richard Powell lets the audience use their imaginations.
I loved working with Fatal Pictures and appreciate your kind mention.
with best regards,
Bill
Bill Oberst Jr.
billoberst.com
Fantastic work, Mr. Oberst! The energy between you and Nolan was amazing. And, after reading Richard Powell's press release about the project, it takes on a whole new meaning that will definitely require that I watch for a third time. Deep stuff there. I'll be writing up another "deep dive/spoiler" review of this film and Familiar in the near future.
DeleteThanks for reading! Looking forward to seeing more of your work. By the looks of IMDB, there's a LOT of work coming out!
Cheers!