Spring [2014]
"Just because you haven't seen something before, doesn't mean it's supernatural."
Spring is an early work by writer/director/cinematographer duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. It tells the story of a young man facing a severe emotional challenge involving his immediate family. As a getaway, he travels to Europe and meets a girl. What happens then is... well, a little less typical than you might expect.
This one won't be for everyone, but it is going to be for those that really enjoy films and the up-and-coming people who want to create them. The concept is very interesting and unique, the effects are absolutely top notch for what this is, and I look forward to future projects from these filmmakers.
Spring is a perfect example of what I commended about 2018's horror smash hit A Quiet Place and none of the things I tore that movie apart for. Spring isn't perfect, but nobody is claiming it is. My rating reflects a combination of how I feel about it as a work from a newcomer to the scene and nakedly as a film amidst everything else. While not exactly a debut film, it's very close, and very good considering. Before what I have to say next dissuades you, I will watch everything Justin and Aaron have made to date and will continue looking out for their films in the future.
Springs flaws, well... spring from inexperience, not inability.
Where Spring falters most is in its pacing and dialogue. The film is 1:50 long, and could have been ~20 minutes shorter to really compress most of the beginning into something faster that would keep the audience engaged; You don't pick up anything about the real plot of the film until ~35 minutes in, and that's just too long. Once you get to that point it levels out pretty alright, but could still use a little push now and then to really keep it rolling.
The other (and main) issue, is the dialogue. Some of it is very clever and even funny at times. These scenes are where Spring shines the most and I think Justin and Aaron should take a more tongue in cheek approach to serious horror more akin to Get Out's comedic relief or something like a darker Sean of the Dead. Outside of these scenes, however, most of the characters are OK... except for our lead. Evan is unbelievable and mostly unlikeable until the very last scene of the film. I'm not sure if it's just his mostly corny acting or the actual writing done for his character, but he's very distracting. His support, Louise, is mostly quite good even though she also has her moments.
Those things being said, this really is a good film conceptually. The story it tells is interesting despite the flaws in the way that it's told. You might remember I wrote a small piece on "Plot vs Execution" a while ago, and this falls into that category. The general plot of Spring is super interesting and well conceived... the execution of that plot falls a little short.
That being said, this is a movie with well developed creative chops that just needs some honing in the technical areas. Untouched by big name corporate rot, I think Benson and Moorhead could really have some big pieces in their future. A24, pick up that phone and start dialing.
"Life probably seems short no matter what, but..."
