Film tips week 42 - Ramaskrik!

Corey Harlan wakes up in what appears to be an ordinary British terraced house. However, it turns out to be a bizarre machine, where every door opens onto strange, violent, war-torn worlds. In his search for answers, Harlan is joined by Aclima, a mysterious interdimensional being.

Bulk is something as rare as a low-budget, high-concept science fiction film about a failed string theory experiment! Shot in gorgeous black and white, the film is a bewildering, psychedelic brainteaser filled with hand-drawn animation, collages, and practical effects. It has a homemade feel and is reminiscent of experimental works from the 1960s and 70s or, for that matter, the early episodes of The Twilight Zone. The small ensemble cast, with all the roles played by just four actors, wholeheartedly embraces Wheatley’s distinctive vision and gives it their all to bring to life a disorienting world of scientific riddles, post-apocalyptic car chases, and shootouts. And the end credits are a work of art in their own right!

Review by TG for Ramaskrik

Please note! This year, Ramaskrik welcomes filmmaker Ben Wheatley! In addition to Bulk, you’ll have the chance to see his earlier film Kill List and join a Q&A with the director in the foyer. Don’t miss it!

© Anti-Worlds Releasing

In Saccharine, we meet Hana, a medical student who is desperately trying to lose weight. When she hears about a mysterious weight-loss pill that promises almost instant results, she decides to investigate its ingredients so she can make her own version. But what initially seems like a shortcut to her dream body quickly turns into a living nightmare when she discovers what the pills actually contain.

Saccharine delivers genuine, grotesque body horror in pill form — quite literally! Through unsettling visual and audio effects, the film explores body image pressures, beauty standards, and the pursuit of an ideal that always seems just out of reach.

A little tip before the screening: eat beforehand. We can almost guarantee you’ll have lost your appetite by the time the film ends.

Review by TSF for Ramaskrik

© Festival Agency

A remote coastal town in the South Korean countryside is suddenly attacked by something none of its residents have ever seen before. Mysterious events begin to unfold, and it soon becomes clear that something truly extraordinary is going on.

Hope has been described as South Korea’s most expensive film production and premiered in the Midnight section at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it received rave reviews.

The film is directed by Na Hong-jin, the man behind the brilliant 2016 film The Wailing. Hope is intense, surprising, gripping, action-packed, and unexpectedly funny — exactly the kind of film you’re better off knowing as little as possible about beforehand.

Review by MH for Ramaskrik

© SF Norge