THE LOVED ONES
Robin McLeavy – Princess,
or Lola
Xavier Samuel – Brent
John Brumpton – Daddy
Victoria Thaine - Holly
Richard Wilson – Jamie
Jessica McNamee – Mia
Dir. Sean Byrne
Producer – Mark Lazarus
Ambience Entertainment
84mins
‘The Loved Ones’ (dir.
Sean Byrne) is a film that allows itself to explore and confront teenage angst in
such a way that the end result is, very simply, a joy to watch. By comparing the ways in which teenagers deal
with loss and longing in simplistic terms, ‘The Loved Ones’ is made fresh and
surprising. The visual style and
cinematography, married with scenes of intense physical pain, solitude, and
teenage fantasy, result in a free-spinning cotton candy machine, lovingly
crystalized with blood. This film exalts
in the hot pink of prom night, making it hugely aesthetically pleasing, even
during scenes of horrific torture.
As teenagers, we are
offered restrictions: a date can’t be found for a dance; we can’t figure out ways
to overcome loss; we are ostracized by our peers; authority figures don’t allow
us the space to blossom. ‘The Loved
Ones’ is able to project various stages of angst onto, and from within, each of
it’s characters without causing any of them to be stereotypical, though on the
surface they may be. ‘Lola’, or
‘Princess’ (Robin McLeavy), is one of the better villains to grace the horror
screen in quite some time. Both
relentless and innocent, McLeavy commands the screen with intensity – in one particularly powerful instance, screaming
“Cry!” to ‘Brent’ (Xavier Samuel) over and over again, as her father (John
Brumpton) drives knives into his feet. As
father and daughter, they break the surface of the Electra Complex with a dance
at the end: Princess finally realizing that her father is “the only one for
me”. In the torture and mistreatment of
‘Bright Eyes’ (Anne Scott-Pendlebury), her mother, and the dispensing of
suitors over the years, Princess has obviously pursued her father as a
partner.
Throughout the film, the
pairing of Brent and Princess is juxtaposed with the night that ‘Jamie’ (Richard
Wilson), and ‘Mia’ (Jessica McNamee), are having together. Mia, suffering from the loss of her brother,
comparatively projects her angst in a far different manner than Jamie, or
Brent: heavy drinking and a dour attitude versus Brent’s penchant for ‘cutting’
and a dour attitude. (Quite arguably,
Brent’s past of ‘cutting’ is what saves him: his pain tolerance, and his razor
blade necklace). ‘Holly’ (Victoria
Thaine) is obviously neglected. In fact,
Jamie is possibly the only character that can be construed to have a normal
life.
‘The Loved Ones’ is a
great film, surprising with each turn of the camera; and, as a first time
feature director, Sean Byrne is completely assured. The performances he is able to extract from
Samuel, and, particularly, McLeavy is beyond exciting. While Brent’s ordeal is not easily forgotten,
(in a way it frees him from blaming himself for the death of his father), it's Princess
who will haunt you afterwards.
Afterthought: In many ways the intensity, great direction, strength of it's lead actress, and tone of The Loved Ones reminded me of Lucky McKee's first film May.
Here is Roger Ebert's review of May:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030606/REVIEWS/306060303/1023
Afterthought: In many ways the intensity, great direction, strength of it's lead actress, and tone of The Loved Ones reminded me of Lucky McKee's first film May.
Here is Roger Ebert's review of May:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030606/REVIEWS/306060303/1023
