Do you Remember watching Cast Away and the section of the film where there was absolutely no dialog? How amazing the cinematography was and how the director was able to tell such an enticing part of the story with absolutely no dialog at all? Some thought something like this couldn’t and/or shouldn’t be done again, but it gives me great pleasure to announce it has been done, and it’s amazing. My final most anticipated film of DIFF was The Presence written and directed by first time filmmaker Tom Provost.
The Presence is, simply put, a dark romantic ghost story. The film is about a woman (Mira Sorvino) who travels to an isolated cabin on an island where she finds herself stalked by a ghost (Shane West) who is residing in the cabin as well. When her boyfriend (Justin Kirk) shows up unannounced, the ghost becomes jelouse and becomes more obsessed with the woman. Soon the woman begins to act irrationally towards her boyfriend, lashing out at him almost as if she is possessed by an evil spirit herself.
The film starts off with almost 25 minutes of no dialog which may dissuade some movie goers, but you really need to give it a chance. Shane and Mira do such an amazing job acting in the opening scenes that if there was dialog, it would have ruined the scenes. The way Provost shot the film adds so much depth and is visually stunning that words would just distract the audience from really experiencing the atmosphere and would take some of the suspense away. Hands down this was the most beautifully shot film I have seen at the festival thus far and I want to commend Provost and his team for the job they did.
A lot of people were expecting a horror film, which may have disappointed some because the film is not a horror at all. Yes, it’s the story about ghosts, but it’s so much more. The film is really about the emotional strain the woman has because of her past and how she is trying to come to terms and be able to love and trust her boyfriend. The ghost does develop feelings for the woman which just adds to the story. Not a lot of questions are answered in the film and that was the sole intention of Provost. He said he wanted the audience to use their imagination and interpret it their own way as oppose to answering ever little question. There are a few religious references to some extent in the film but it helps the audience understand in the end what the ghost is going through and almost how he is trying to redeem himself. There is a twist at the end that will have you talking for hours, trying to explain what exactly happened, were there really ghosts in the house, and was the woman just delusional or was it a subconscious thing, etc….
The film was shot in Oregon in a national forest and they shot 21 out of 24 days which is crazy if you know anything about film making. To make a film in such a short amount of time can sometimes cause tension and tempers to fly towards the end of production. The budget of the film was under a million dollars but looks like they had well over a million to work with.
Overall this was one of my favorite films in the festival and I look forward to seeing more of Tom’s work in the future. The film has been picked up by Lionsgate and is expected to be released on VOD in early November this year. There is a possibility the film could receive a theatrical release but this has not been determined yet by Lionsgate.
I had the honor of sitting down and interviewing Tom Provost prior to the screening of the film. Keep an eye out for the interview in the next couple of days to get an inside look at the director and the film.
Rating: Cinematic beauty with a fresh new look on a ghost story. Overall amazing film and highly recommended. (9/10)
Recent Comments