The Commune (2009)
When Jenny Cross has to spend summer vacation with her deadbeat dad in his creepy commune, she thinks clean living and boredom will kill her. But some fates are worse than death.
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Why so much hype?
Very disappointing...
hyped garbage
Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.
These people leaving reviews probably are being paid to leave them because anyone whose actually seem this movie, would never say its good. Its horrible. Like Freddy got fingered horrible. A 22 yr old does not a convincing 15 yr old make....The acting is so awful that the plot is lost. If this was your labor of love Ms Fries, please choose a different medium. This is going on the black list for me.I have to leave more words here because my review isn't long enough yet so again i will say this movie is terrible. Oh and the cinematography is horrible too. The characters are unlikable. Im going to try to save this now.
I first saw this at the Bram Stoker Film Festival, where it won "Best International Feature", and purchased the DVD there (which speaks for itself). It stands up brilliantly to a second viewing, I have to say, and works as well on the small screen as on the big.The Commune is a good, slow creep in the manner of The Wicker Man, the subject area well researched so that little bits peek through in ways the audience might not always appreciate on a first viewing. It's one of those films where the more you know about the setting the more frightening it is, unlike a lot of horror flicks. The intense colour palette gives it a dissonant quality that enhances the unsettling feeling the film inspires. I feel the climax could have been a little bigger in terms of set pieces, but as it stands it does give the film a more personal feeling.
A cutting edge, well structured homage to a 1970's cinematic feel and tone. Well directed, well acted. A taunt psychological thriller and a very important film. This film is a liberation and a testimony to the fact that there is art left in cinema today.Elisbeth Fies shows a rare cinematic deftness and skill. The film is lush and full of character detail and thought. The plot line is a journey into a dark psychological depth and will an amazing execution. We will be see much more of MS Fies in the future we hope.Elisabeth received the award for Best Emerging Filmmaker this year at The B Movie Celebration.
Most of the horror films that I see released these days aren't scary, sport a CW-esquire cast and have to rely on the gore to save a film that was weak in the first place. Long gone are those days of great horror films and here to stay are the days of poorly structured horror films that have to glorify bloodshed that is until now with the release of Elisabeth Fies' The Commune; an independent horror film that is reminiscent of the fantastically structured horror films of old.The Commune is about a 15 year old girl named Jenny Cross (Chauntal Lewis) who, because of a lawsuit, is sent to live with her father, Dr. Polieos (Stuart G. Bennett), for a month on his hippie compound. As the days pass, Jenny spends most of her time counting down the days until her 16th birthday and trying to figure out what she's going to do for entertainment for a month. Luckily, Jenny meets a guy named Puck (David Lago), who seems to help Jenny get some enjoyment back into her life. Jenny starts believing that, because of Puck, her time at the commune won't be so bad after all but then some freaky things start happening and Jenny has to figure out a way to get out of there or become just another victim.Aside from some rough spots with the supporting characters, the acting in the film is pretty solid. Chauntal Lewis is great as Jenny. Lewis is essentially this film's "final girl" the part in a horror film that you are supposed to connect with, care for and hope that she can find a way to overcome the odds and manages to pull it off without a hitch. Because of Lewis' performance, Stuart G. Bennett is able to feed off of her and delivers a performance that is beyond creepy; something Bennett seems to have enjoyed a tad bit too much. Lago as Puck does a fine job with his part; that of Jenny's love interest, which would bore people to tears in other movies, but works here. When you first see him in the movie and notice that he's sporting black nail polish and eye liner, you want to punch him in the face, but as the film progresses, you see that the character is actually a likable guy and you don't want to hit him as much.Elisabeth Fies, who not only directed the film but also wrote it, produced it and played a part in it as well, may actually be the film's shining star. With The Commune, Fies crafts a film that has the perfect amount of tension needed for the story and is able to disturb viewers to the point that it will make them cringe, but will keep them so wrapped up in the story that they won't want to turn it off. Oh, but that isn't the best part. The best part is that The Commune is Fies' first film. To be ambitious enough to put together a film that looks this great and shows that she has the potential to put many Hollywood directors to shame is a feat that is just phenomenal. Hopefully any movie she makes in the future turn out this good.For those of you who like horror films from the past, you will most likely want to check out Elisabeth Fies' The Commune. It's a nicely structured film that creates the perfect amount of tension and doesn't rely on any unnecessary gimmicks. It is good to see that there are ambitious people out there that are willing to spend their own money to get a film that they want to see made.