Is it just me or are two of the settings in BIG BAD WOLVES mirror
images of Korean suspense films? A not at all by the book (unless referring to
its use as a weapon) interrogation scene seems transported to the open air
level of a building where black market organs are sold in Sympathy forMr.
Vengeance. Later, a frantic search in a school’s empty lot (or is it a
greenhouse?) is reminiscent of a field where a major confrontation in I Saw The
Devil occurred. This is not snark, I genuinely want to know if any of these scenes
ring familiar, or is it just me? The idea of Israeli directors Aharon Keshales
and Navot Papushado channeling imagery from these films, either unconsciously
or not, is an interesting theory – to me, anyway. In recent years South Korea
has certainly been a go to scene for technically adept and innovative examples
of suspense thrillers, particularly those dealing critically with the idea of
vengeance. And Keshales and Papushado seem determined to deliver a crowning
achievement in that very field.
In many ways the makers of BIG BAD WOLVES seem like they are
‘going for it,’ treating suspense filmmaking as a contact sport they are playing
to win. Going back to my ‘Korean idea,’ I would not be surprised if they were
studious observers of the shining examples from throughout the realm of
suspense and psychological thrillers. They are extremely fluent in the genre.
The tone is set in the film’s opening moments. Children play
what seems like an innocent game, but a bombastic score screws up the tension
around the slightest movement or expression. Shot in a highly stylized semi
slow motion, their eyes and smiles suggest malice. And indeed many moments down
the line will feel similarly spring-loaded with potential catastrophe just around
the corner.
At the core of this story is grizzly serial child murder and
the resulting vigilante-like intentions of two characters riding a very blurred
line between protagonist/antagonist. Their motivations are driven by
frustration with the perceived red tape of bureaucracy on one part; pure and
simple vengeance on the other.
An investigation into the crimes is joined midway, a suspect
in the crosshairs of law enforcement, with details on how he came to be there
pointedly lacking. There is scarcely little insight into these crimes from the
killer’s or even a forensics expert’s point of view. Instead, we follow a cop
who’s been taken off the case for his questionable methods, and the father of
the latest victim as they engage in a bizarre and darkly comic trial of errors
with the meek suspect.
The film is a very purposeful button pusher. There are
probably very good cops in Israel but they are not depicted between the frames
of this movie. Everyone who has any kind of serious impact in the male dominated
cast is corrupt, operates above according to their own interpretation of the
law, or is just plain inept. There are implications that suggest everyone in is
a secret, or not so secret torturer. Yet, the movie‘s script is playful
throughout, perhaps making the seriousness of the cultural satire go down a bit
easier.
Humor takes a much larger role in the production than one
might expect. The pair so doggedly out for blood show signs of being both
believably vicious and at other times, laughably flawed. Enter the ‘cameo’ of a
Palestinian, on horseback no less, whose presence plays ruthlessly with cultural
stereotypes and drops a heaping load of hypocrisy right in our laps.
Things move nimbly from the comedic to cringe inducing
gruesome acts, with no lack of the red stuff, when it counts. It even includes a moment of the now timeworn
tradition of depicting sinister doings set to misaligned cheerful music. In
short, Keshales and Papushado seem to be having a blast flexing their skills of
execution with this sort of filmmaking.
My one complaint is an unresolved feeling at the film’s
conclusion. Some courses of action suggested an outcome that would make a more
coherent critical statement, yet it seems to be dealing with something else.
While it’s a mostly powerful indicting statement from start to finish, the
final allotment of outcomes doesn’t quite put a fitting cap on these ideas in
my view. Still confused is a much lesser offense worse than dull, and there
were few moments I did not find myself inching toward or already at the edge of
my seat.
Big Bad Wolves receives its world Premiere at this year’s
Tribeca Film Festival. Visit the festival website for more information.
Twitter: @mondocurry
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