Well, it's certainly novel. I would be a bit nervous driving around wherever that woman is, however, as chaos seemingly gravitates towards her, apparently with no effort whatsoever. It took me a couple of minutes to decide whether I loathed or loved her.
Despite the hype around this, coming from Rob Savage, Director of the blunt and simple 'Host' in 2020, what it lacks in polish, it makes up for in plain old lunacy. Host drew you in, quietly caressing you with its disturbing malevolence to a wordless, slack-jawed conclusion.
Here, Savage throws the kitchen sink at his audience early on, leaving them as clueless as the people being watched. It's so short as to blink and you'll miss something relevant, as it shows you alot and doesn't apologise for it in just over an hour.
Annie reminds me of a girl I met at seventeen. She was the first American I had ever met in the flesh. She had the same quirky approach to every day existence and you could guarantee that you wouldn't know what she would do next. I dated her for a whole four hours, but she was hard work even sitting still, which she didn't do much of. We only went out the once. Honestly, I couldn't take her anymore after that, but was left wondering how her brain worked without it pouring out of her ears.
Savage is flexing here, released from the constraints of a pandemic that forced him to create in a box. Let loose, he's inventive and excitable with a great eye for a shot, that are often grisly, often predictable, but never wasted, not to mention the kind of ironic flourishes that will force a grin out of you. Whether you are moved by this will probably depend on your feelings for the characters, Annie especially, as the rest of the cast barely get a look in, much less chance to become rounded.
It's not sophisticated at all, and far from subtle. Nor is it, despite the obvious differences, so far removed from Host as to make you wonder whether he has it in him to do something more. I get the feeling he can, and will, but for the moment, Savage is still the pony with one quite cool trick.
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