Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror
Films, 2013
Images from the Internet
Jug
Face
Written and directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle.
81 minutes, 2013
www.jugfacethemovie.com
www.Moderncine.com
www.Werenewco.com
www.moderndistrib.
www.MVDvisual.com
Images from the Internet
Written and directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle.
81 minutes, 2013
www.jugfacethemovie.com
www.Moderncine.com
www.Werenewco.com
www.moderndistrib.
www.MVDvisual.com
This film has had quite a number of
festival selections, won some awards, and is listed on quite a number of Top 10
lists of the year. I can certainly understand that, as the acting is superb,
the direction well handled, the tension palpable and the story is engaging
through most of it. But for some reason it left me cold.
In the deep backwoods of Tennessee,
there is an ancient creature living in a relatively shallow hole in the ground (called
“the pit”) that has a few inches of water in it that trades good health in
exchange for a sacrifice of its choosing, in a relationship similar to the
Morlocks and Eloi. Whoever’s face appears on a potter’s jug (inspired by the
unnamed being), they must have their throat cut and the blood spills down into
the hole, satisfying the bloodlust until the next jug face.
We meet Amy (Lauren Ashely Carter,
looking younger than her years), who is a teenager in trouble in many ways,
including an affair with someone close to her, a friendship with a much older
man (the potter, played excellently by Sean Bridges with just the right amount
of pathos and innocence), promised to a rotund and boring neighbor nearer to
her age, is pregnant (it says it right on the box, so I’m not giving anything
away) in a society that demands virginity, and now she had found out she’s the
next jug face. To make matters worse, if that’s possible, she’s stolen the jug
before anyone sees it, causing death in her wake.
Because the thing in “the pit wants
what it wants,” the community will do whatever it takes to keep it satisfied,
due to its “taking” others until its chosen wants are met. On top of that,
those who die by its hand that have not been chosen are cursed to wander the
woods for eternity.
This sounds like it could be a hoot,
but it fails in my opinion. Why? For many reasons, not all of which I will tell
because of giving away too much, but here are some thoughts. The tentacle being,
which we only see in extremely quick edits and blurs of motion – to keep the
suspense, I’m sure, but c’mon – is supposed to be a religion of sorts, perhaps
being an analogy of the fanaticism of those who follow Jeebus, in some way.
Well, with the exception of what was written and rewritten and transcribed and
rewritten and transcribed, religion is based solely on faith that something had
happened a long time ago, can happen now, or will happen at a later point. The
being in the hole, however, is now and visceral, its effects immediate and
destruction by its figurative hands a real consequence. This is not religion,
because there is no faith in the unknown. It’s desires are made known and you
damn well better obey.
Due to this, I wonder why this
community is committed to keeping its number small. I mean, the more who live
there, the better the odds of survival. If you live in a community of 20 and
every couple of years someone has to go, well, I don’t like the odds. Why they
don’t all leave is another question. Is it a matter of “my land, my honor”?
Screw that. If there was a creature living on my block that demanded that
someone from the block has to be fed to it, well, I’m not staying in that
neighborhood, never mind the city. It defies logic to me.
Everyone in the area treats every day
like its normal. I’d be shitting bricks wondering if it was me, my partner, or my
kids who were next. In a community that small, I would be heartbroken if anyone was chosen. These people are poor
as dirt, Amy’s father sells moonshine to store owner in town to make any money.
Perhaps I’m reading this wrong. Maybe
it’s not about religion, but politics. I mean, poor people – especially in the
deep south, it seems – tend to vote against their own best interests (i.e., Republican)
so maybe it makes sense they would stay around, even if it means the
possibility of self-harm. That could be why I was so frustrated by the
relationships in the film.
There are some decent gore
applications, including a dismembered hand here, an unconnected intestine
there, and especially some throat slicing, but much of the action is a whirl of
motion and editing that leaves much of the actual attacks as wanting, for me.
Lastly, I found the ending to be
unsatisfying, and an easy out. I’m not going to say what it is, but surely
there could have been a more going against the grain, rather than… well, what
it is.
As a side note, I think it’s cool that the
central character’s parents are played by Larry Fessennden and a frumpy looking
Sean Young, who also played the parents of the central character in the 2005 film,
Headspace (reviewed HERE).
As for the extras, there is an interesting
albeit standard “making of” documentary that lasts for 30 minutes so you get to
hear the origins and meet the cast / crew, the trailer, and a short written and
directed by Kinkle called “Organ Grinder.” That was fun, even in its six-minute
length.
Pay attention to what I say, or listen
to the others, it’s all good. I have no ego in this, as it’s not my film.
Considering that more have liked it than I have, it may be worth your checking it
out. Actually, listen to no one and make your own choices, unlike the people in
this film.
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