Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017
Images from the Internet
Atroz (aka Atrocity)
Written and directed by Lex Ortega
Cineauta / Grotesque / Unearthed Films / MVD
Visual
79 minutes,
2015 / 2016
Torture
porn, or whatever you would like to call it, is distinct in its own subgenre
within the horror category. The one key element that runs through all of it is
that it is extreme, and usually
involved the slow and painful evisceration of a human, usually conscious at the
time.
It’s
almost like a dare to test to the viewer: “watch this if you can.” I would say the nascent history of
it started at the hands of Florida Hershell Gordon Lewis (d. 2016), with films
like Blood Feast (1963). While there
have been other gruesome films, such as Night
of the Living Dead (1968) and the Italian giallo movement of the late 1970s through early 1980s, which was
different as the brutality usually was included into the story. Even in touchstone films like Last House on the Left (1972), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), more was
implied than shown, focusing more on the tension
of the situation. Then Eli Roth released Hostel (2005), and changed an important aspect, making the story
revolve around the gore more than the reason for it, as did other films like the
Saw (2004) series. Each one raised
the bar by ramping up the realism. What it has morphed into all these years is
the torture itself. There isn’t even always a substantive storyline, or
sometimes even a reason other than a joyride on someone else’s pain, such as
with the more recent A Serbian Film
(2010), known more for its audience reaction videos on YouTube than the film
itself. Gore been around for decades, such as in Germany’s Nekromantic duo
(1987 and ‘91) and from Japan, there was the likes of the Guinea Pig series (late 1980s), but mainly it had been more
underground until Hostel and Saw.
The main difference between something like this genre and the European
(mostly Italian) giallo films is that
most of the latter is about the effects/affects before and after the killing
(with exceptions of course), but the new trend is close-up details spurned on,
I believe by the mainstreaming of clinical death images on shows like the CSI
television series. What is also prevalent is the use of appliance over digital.
When someone is attacked and hacked piece by piece, the reliance is on SFX, to
keep the realism keen. Many of the newer
releases are also done as “found footage,” as in “the police found this footage
by the killer(s), and here it is,” which means it may be grainy, jump or give
some other visual cue that it’s supposed to be in the moment.
That is
where Atroz comes in. Shot in Mexico
(in Spanish with subtitles), it’s based on a 14-minute short the director did
in 2012 (which is included in the extras), expanding the story and body count. In
fact, most of the original short is incorporated into the first act of the
film.
 |
| Carlos Valencia in the foreground, Lex Ortega in the back |
Two compadres/bad hombres in Mexico, Topo (Miguel Angel Nava) and Goyo (played by the
director), are taken into custody by the policia
after a car accident where they unintentionally kill a woman (you don’t see her
bloody face, but you do see her brains spread across the road). The coppers
discover a video tape and find the footage from the 2015 short, where a trans (M2F)
prostitute is tortured to death. The framework about finding the tape, and the
other recordings are often just a means to present the brutality to the viewing
audience for most of the picture. Like I said, the violence begets the story,
rather than the other way around.
In fact,
most of the “shell” of the story may seem inconsequential at first, such as the
too-long scenes of the police looking over the first shown death, before they
find further evidence. But this being a world that would invent a Trump
presidency, the police believe they must get evidence through any means
necessary, so legally, on some level they are able to do to the brothers
similar what they are accused. This is a damning statement on using torture for
information, and its validity.
Now, I
hope it’s no question to anyone reading this that anyone who deals with any of these guys are pretty much
doomed, as this is the purpose of the story, so I don’t think I’m giving
anything away; well, I hope not. If you’re expecting a happy ending, then
you’re reaping in the wrong garden. But on a writ large stage, it is saying
that the means is a method of control and dominance, more than anything else,
even if it reaches a level of lust. Those under the police commander (Carlos
Valencia) are willing extensions of his anger and will do things to the two
without asking questions of morality or even sanity. A classic case of the pot calling
the kettle, just with the degrees of legal power making the difference.
Don’t get
me wrong, this pair is certainly not nice, and I am not justifying their
actions, but the police stand on questionable grounds as well. During the
second killing, again of a prostitute (this time a female, who is also a
stripper) gives us the information that these guys have full-blown hematolagina.
In other words, they are sexually aroused by blood (not their own, that is).
Quite a
bit of what we see is the guys’ (and some cops) found footage. Now, I don’t own
a video camera, but I do have video on my phone and digital camera, and have
never had the “noise interference” that most of the found footage films show
(jumping, skipping, like that). Is this common in real life or is it a trope
used as an indicator to the audience
that it’s the killers’ camera, rather than the director’s? To put it another
way, it’s sort of like when a reel-to-reel is shown rewound, we hear sped, high-pitched
voices, though rewinding is actually silent as far as the tape contents go.
Personally, I can usually tell the difference because one is really shaky and
the other relatively stagnant (or at least there is some stabilization level on
it), so why do directors bother with that? Found footage is, in itself,
annoying enough, so I say let’s all drop the digital noise and just show the
image. Trust me, we usually get when it’s supposed to be one or the other.
Thank you for that venting, and now back to our story in progress.
I’m not
going to ruin the plot or the punchline – or the reasoning, but it is important
to understand that there is a lot of cultural (religious?) gender and sexual
politics running through the story, informing the action from the very
beginning that is better understood by the end, though again, not condoned. As
the action unfolds in the last act/video, a more complete story is given to the
viewer that many of these types of films gloss over (i.e., why does that doctor want to cut up a live body in Hostel?; why does the person want to do the vile things they do in, well,
too many to list?). For that I am appreciative, even for the squeamishness that
is shown to us. For me, one of the most disturbing scenes is an act of violence
to a man, while his sister watches stunned in the doorframe in the background.
Because of
the gender politics, in part, there is a lot of nudity, of both genders. The
blood and gore flow fiercely (though the fresh blood did seem a bit off in
color and texture; totally forgivable), ably done by Reality FX Studios, run by
Alfredo “Freddy” Sanchez and Jamie “Jimmy McFly” Nieto. The music is equally
disturbing, running from noisy electronica (sort of like what is behind Public
Enemy’s work) to heavy beats, supplied by the duo Eggun. Having the CD
available with this package made it easier to give it some attention.
Along with
the DVD, Blu-Ray and Soundtrack CD that comes in this package, there are a
number of extras, generally ranging in the 3-6 minute range, including
featurettes on the sound and visual practical effects (no digital), and the
crowdsourcing video and similar Behind the Scenes, which focuses on talking by
Ortega and producer Abigail Bonilla. Additionally, there is the aforementioned
original short that is incorporated into this film, and a nice bunch of
Unearthed trailers (including this one). In other words, it’s a really nice
overall package.
Perhaps
it’s because it’s from a country you don’t usually expect this kind of film
(i.e., a different culture than those of which we are used to), but I have to
say, the twist ending was extremely satisfying, and made me happy.
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