Super Dark Times

September 26th, 2017







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Super Dark Times

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Release Year: 2017

Rating: 6.7/10 ( voted)

Critic's Score: /100

Director: Kevin Phillips

Stars: Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino

Storyline
Teenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence.

Writers: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski, Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Max Talisman, Sawyer Barth, Amy Hargreaves, Adea Lennox, Ethan Botwick, Philip H. Ashley, Justin Rose, Kortnee Simmons, Samantha Jones, Anni Krueger, Jeffrey Alan Solomon, Carl Arcilesi, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cast:
Owen Campbell - Zach
Charlie Tahan - Josh
Elizabeth Cappuccino - Allison
Max Talisman - Daryl
Sawyer Barth - Charlie
Amy Hargreaves - Karen
Adea Lennox - Meghan
Ethan Botwick - John Whitcomb
Philip H. Ashley - Chad
Justin Rose - Kevin
Kortnee Simmons - Eugene
Samantha Jones - Joan
Anni Krueger - Mrs. Barron
Jeffrey Alan Solomon - Duke
Carl Arcilesi - Party Goer



Details

Official Website: Official site [United States]

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 3 Jan 2017



Technical Specs

Runtime:



User Review

Author:

Rating: 7/10

Saw this at the Rotterdam film festival 2017 (website: iffr.com). The synopsis on the festival website contained ample pointers to avoid this movie, for example "life revolves around vying for popularity, hanging out, falling in love and looking for kicks". Luckily there was only little attention for partying, courting, clothes, and more such, unlike other movies covering youngsters of high-school age. The real drama took some time to develop, but once becoming apparent it stayed in the forefront, and so should it be.

A bit problematic (for me) is that the finale went a bit too fast and too bloody for my taste, something that did not follow logically from what happened before. It seemed a bit over the top. On the other hand, a different ending was not easy to think of, as involving the police and the legal system would have ruined the story completely. Moreover, it would require bringing in the parents of our main protagonists, which usually does not bode well for the clarity of the drama. Anyway, unexpected turns of events came at a steady pace and without weak moments, one step after another. The role of the female college students was less cultivated, as if they were only background tapestry, or maybe serving as catalyst material to speed up developments but otherwise not really crucial for the outcome.

Unclear is the opening scene where a deer is found dead in the class room with a broken window. It took some time before the police entered, who started exchanging glances with each other, but I'm at a loss what it all meant.

From the final Q&A I learned a nice statement: "planting little seeds here and there is the essence of script writing". And also: Rhythm and pacing are important (it was a side answer to a question about the sound track, but even more applying to the screenplay).

Also from the Q&A: A serious attempt was made to give Josh more dimensions in his character. Same for the others, though they did not need it that much. All were nice young men without really bad habits, but only nice is not enough to keep our interest.

All in all, I was glad to have booked tickets for this movie, despite my fears that it was to become another coming-of-age story with too much time devoted on courting and partying. This time there were no problems along that line. It sustained a real focus on the central story and its pacing of subsequent developments. The audience awarded this movie a mediocre 73rd place (out of 172) with an average score of 3.905 *out of 5).





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