The
Ones Below (2015/Magnolia/MagNet Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: B
Director
David Farr's 2015 excellent British horror thriller The Ones Below
(2015) is oddly absorbing and hard to look away from. No doubt
inspired by Rosemary's Baby (perhaps too much at times), the
film has a tight screenplay, great performances by all of the leads,
and excellent cinematography. The film stars Clemence Poesy (Harry
Potter), David Morrissey (The Governor from The Walking Dead),
Stephen Campbell Moore, Laura Birn, and Deborah Findlay.
Together
for ten years and about to give birth to a child, a young couple Kate
and Justin (Poesy and Moore) move into a new apartment building and
end up inheriting bizarre new neighbors Jon and Teresa (Morissey and
Birn) who seem a bit OCD at times. At first the two couples get
along great and seem to almost compliment each other as Jon and
Teresa are also about to have a child. One night during a dinner
party however, Teresa has a little too much wine and ends up falling
down the stairs of the apartment - essentially losing the baby during
the hard fall. Deciding to move away after a vicious dispute between
Kate and Justin - the couple has their baby and life returns to
normal. That is until Jon and Teresa move back and strange things
start to happen, with Kate believing that something sinister is
brewing and that the couple are planning to steal their child!
There
are some chilling scenes in the film during the final act that make
the film terrifying for new parents or pregnant women. One such
scene involves Kate seeing Teresa breastfeeding her baby in the
backyard of their building and a tense moment where a strange voice
is head over the baby radio monitor. The drama and pacing of the
film is pretty spot on, as well as a gripping performance by Clemence
Poesy that progressively gets more and more tense as the film
progresses.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and
a great sounding English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track,
the film looks and sounds fantastic on
Blu-ray
with incredible detail and rich colors that leave little to desire.
That makes it more vivid and affecting.
Extras
include...
Going
Below the Story
Behind
the Cast and Characters
Creating
a Cinematic Moment: Under the bridge
Car
Stunt: Breaking Down an Action Sequence
Theatrical
Trailer
I
would suggest checking this film out if you're a fan of psychological
thrillers. This is further proof that a small film can be pulled off
effectively with few characters and limited locations.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
