This is a very strange movie and I find it hard to decide whether it's just over-pretentious, or a truly intelligent, maybe even brilliant attempt to unravel the mysteries of the dark corners in the human mind. Nothing in this movie is what it appears to be, you're surprised again and again, even till the very last minutes of the movie. I have to admit that this kept me fascinated and watching, although at the same time I had the uncanny feeling that I was made a fool of, and someone was trying to find out how long you can serve bad food and still make someone eat it.
Part of the problem is the almost overall mediocre acting. The only one that stands out is Jeroen Krabbé, he is excellent as the sinister, perverted, probably psychopathic but also very charming director. Lisa Enos is a feast for the eyes (with and without clothes), but it unnerved me a bit that she let herself be so extremely exploited by appearing for (over)long takes in full frontal nude.
But maybe that unnerving feeling was all part of the plan. Some goings-on go totally over the top, like the irritating hysteria of the group of weird killer-girls, or the deranged and invalid son stumbling into Krabbé's bedroom to kill him, they seem to be meant to create bewilderment and disbelief. There's gore, albeit not always as graphically displayed as you may emotionally experience it, there's also a lot of suggestion, which of course adds up to the main theme of "real or not-real".
This movie is obviously about exploitation, about people abusing other people (and let themselves be abused) out of purely opportunistic motives. But ultimately it's about the very game of fooling. We, the viewers, are tricked again and again, and although we know that in a horror movie it's all fake, (even in a movie that's called "Snuff movie"), here we are forced to make time and again a total mind-switch and re-adjust our convictions. It results in a feeling that you never fully get into control of what is presented to you. We are not helped by any coherent plot, it's as if the director wants us to step backwards and just look at things unfold from a distance. As a consequence you never get involved with the persons at all, but it does enhance the awkward feeling of estrangement.
The end of the movie - the surprising bow of Krabbé (to us?) - reminded me of the ending of Verdi's Falstaff: stepping out of the role back into the real life and saying (or suggesting) to the public: "really, the whole world is nothing but a sham!". Which feeling gets enhanced when watching the closing credits of the cast roll by: there you see that almost every actor played two or more different roles!
Part of the problem is the almost overall mediocre acting. The only one that stands out is Jeroen Krabbé, he is excellent as the sinister, perverted, probably psychopathic but also very charming director. Lisa Enos is a feast for the eyes (with and without clothes), but it unnerved me a bit that she let herself be so extremely exploited by appearing for (over)long takes in full frontal nude.
But maybe that unnerving feeling was all part of the plan. Some goings-on go totally over the top, like the irritating hysteria of the group of weird killer-girls, or the deranged and invalid son stumbling into Krabbé's bedroom to kill him, they seem to be meant to create bewilderment and disbelief. There's gore, albeit not always as graphically displayed as you may emotionally experience it, there's also a lot of suggestion, which of course adds up to the main theme of "real or not-real".
This movie is obviously about exploitation, about people abusing other people (and let themselves be abused) out of purely opportunistic motives. But ultimately it's about the very game of fooling. We, the viewers, are tricked again and again, and although we know that in a horror movie it's all fake, (even in a movie that's called "Snuff movie"), here we are forced to make time and again a total mind-switch and re-adjust our convictions. It results in a feeling that you never fully get into control of what is presented to you. We are not helped by any coherent plot, it's as if the director wants us to step backwards and just look at things unfold from a distance. As a consequence you never get involved with the persons at all, but it does enhance the awkward feeling of estrangement.
The end of the movie - the surprising bow of Krabbé (to us?) - reminded me of the ending of Verdi's Falstaff: stepping out of the role back into the real life and saying (or suggesting) to the public: "really, the whole world is nothing but a sham!". Which feeling gets enhanced when watching the closing credits of the cast roll by: there you see that almost every actor played two or more different roles!