“You have sacrificed what you love and he chooses you.”
Terror is a place. Grace Jennings (Mel Eloise-Clarke) is searching for her disappeared brother (Gautier de Fontaine, no joke). Lost in the forest with a mysterious man (Leighton Cardno) she calls Mr. Green, she will discover that her roots intertwine with those of the surrounding woods.
Grace in the sky with diamonds
Well, finally, a film that leaves you speechless because the conclusion is… unsatisfying. I know I’m starting strong, but I think that slowly I’m getting the hang of it, and I have a soft spot for “bad” films that still try something original. Sometimes it works, and other times it breaks. However, if beauty were only found in victory, why are we captivated by endings like Platoon, Se7en, or even Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
Grace (Mel Eloise-Clarke)
Not that these films are bad (on the contrary, they are masterpieces), but ultimately, they are not beautiful because they end well. The Banished, written and directed by Joseph Sims-Dennett, falls into this vein — or at least, tries to — where the inevitable downfall constitutes the main part of the cathartic effect.
There are times when I start to believe that owning a camera is too few criteria to be eligible for grants to make a film, present it, and all. Willpower is good, but it’s not everything. I mean, there are some who want to make films to whom we say: “Why not write a book?” Well yes, as if writing a book was like making a movie. If you want to paint, why not play a musical instrument? It’s art after all, it’s all pretty much the same. I guess we’re astronauts because we have a rocket? The habit does not make the monk, they say, but if I put a helmet and a camouflage uniform on him, he still looks pretty much like a soldier to the average person.
Two Roles and a Hat
I want to clarify — once again — that this idea of elitism in Art, in a “powerful/weak” or “power/non-power” relationship, is far from me. It’s more about the desire not to throw the baby out with the bathwater every time. Well… the sewers, but they didn’t exist when the expression was invented, just imagine with all the Clowns and Killer Croc hiding there now. Would it be possible to preserve the humanist roots that guided our species in a joint evolution? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, maybe we could try to work together, but for real this time. When it’s time to be stupid, we watch them build a wall across a city in one night, ONE DAMN NIGHT! OK, maybe it wasn’t the strongest wall in the world, but it just goes to show: if we work less efficiently than the Fascists, things are going badly at the shop!
It seems to me that we have forgotten where we came from at the risk of repeating the same mistake a third time. Clearly, there’s a pattern (or “schème” as we often anglicize) that we don’t want to break away from, and it’s starting to get toxic. Never two without three; why not change it for once? I learned that in a conflict there are always at least two people involved (almost, but we must remember that it can also just be in your head as the Gorillaz said) and so ultimately, we are the first person who has the power over ourselves to change the dance step that leads to the usual tripping. We can compare it to walking with a pebble in your shoe; we all have our tolerance level, but sooner or later we say: “Damn, I should have taken it out from the start.”
Finally, what’s the connection to The Banished? Probably none, except that now I imagine you know what it’s like to have expectations for some medium (or industry) only to find yourself with a half-finished final product. It also allows me to branch off into this thought that constantly runs through my mind (my Zodiac sign is Horse after all. I “match” with Tigers, Goats, and other Horses. Just saying). Let’s learn to differentiate between a complicated or intelligent film and a film — to use the most common term — “fucked up.”
Falling in the Forest for Everyone to Hear
Let’s be honest, who says “fucked up” because they found it genius? Generally, we utter this expression when, upon reflection with all the elements in place, the narrative or plot leaves us wanting more. Is it so complicated to at least choose a symbolism and build in parallel with it? Because creating a cosmogony that truly makes sense takes time. You can’t just always ask ChatGPT to make a heterogeneous amalgam (with lumps) of cool stuff related to this and that and say to yourself: “Yeah! Not bad at all. I’ll do that.” If you don’t have ideas, why are you monopolizing the spotlight for us to watch you? In comedies, we caricature precisely these moments where someone delivers a speech, or a performance that wows the crowd, and then another character jumps in unprepared to make a fool of themselves in front of everyone. In films too; sometimes it works, sometimes it breaks.
Here, it’s at best an experimental film frankly lacking in form and depth; at worst, it’s someone who doesn’t master their subject at all and believes they are delivering an “artsy” and suitable work for the 7th art. It is, once again, it seems, the form that takes precedence over the substance. Good acting, yes. Sincere effort, maybe. But art doesn’t stop at “good work.” One must transcend mastery to achieve what touches, what lasts, what leaves a mark. New generations should bring better, but it seems that even reinventing Superman doesn’t really work when you don’t know what you have in front of you from the start.
Don’t get me wrong, I love horror or strange cinema. After all, Rod Serling and Lynch are role models for me. Precisely, I would like to leave you with some words from Rod Serling, the creator of the legendary series Twilight Zone. Here is a piece of the puzzle that built me into who I am now and which I hope, dear reader, will also allow you to draw a broader picture of who you are.
