Denouement Renouement

Tag: 2007

  • Hooptober 12: [REC] (2007)

    Film #31 — 5/5 Zombie Films; 6/6 Countries (Spain)

    By C. Ramsay

    Opening on a reporter and cameraman covering the night shift at a fire station, the viewer is dragged with them on a call to help an elderly woman trapped in her apartment, an excursion that culminates in the lockdown of the building due to the spread of a rabies-like virus that is contagious to humans. We stay within the point of view of Pablo, the cameraman, for nearly the entire film, forcing the viewer into the center of the action along with every other frantic character. The sense of helplessness experienced by the audience is made worse through having no choice but to move with Ángela, the reporter, and Pablo to keep up with the professionals who were meant to be captured in the first place, but not being able to contribute anything except for witnessing and documentation. The group we’re placed with has no expertise for the crisis and is constantly struggling to remain calm—even those with authority completely lack in the ability to do anything that might matter, though they try.

    Manuela Valesco, who plays Ángela, is extremely charismatic in her role, developing a combination of naivety and initiative that rounds out her characterization in places where others might remain stereotypes or caricatures. The makeup and practical effects are great, and though we see a lot, it’s constantly fragmented due to the camerawork, making us crave more. It helps that the colours of the building and most of the clothing are muted, allowing any blood to stand out.

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  • Hooptober 12: I Am Legend (2007)

    Film #21 — 2/5 Zombie Films; 8/9 Decades

    By C. Ramsay

    “Please say hello to me.”

    Considering the creatures in this adaptation of I Am Legend are stylistically hybridized as vampiric zombies, I’m considering it enough of a fit to be included in the Hooptober zombie category this year. 

    There’s a lot to like about this one, contrary to what some might argue. The pacing throughout most of the film is consistent and contributes to the atmosphere, blending introspective scenes with stress-inducing action sequences, and splicing in flashbacks during well-suited moments. The news segment that’s used to open the film, with the audio filtering in before we see the accompanying video, is great for providing enough exposition to inform the audience of what went wrong before cutting to the present day to allow us to visually witness the aftermath as we’re introduced to Will Smith’s Robert Neville, an immune army virologist. The worldbuilding layered into the advancing plot is rich, with extra details for information we’ve previously learned about being peppered in to shift or deepen context. The logistics of how Neville gets through his days are considered highly important, not only in how he physically survives and sustains himself, but also in what he does to try to stay sane as the supposedly last remaining uninfected person. Whichever expository details might be missing from inclusion as a focal point in different scenes can often be found in the set design, perhaps never outright discussed, but waiting nevertheless to be discovered in the background. The interior of Neville’s home, for example, is flooded with objects that are revelatory to his personality prior to the virus, something we’re never witness to otherwise, and which then also act to more deeply contextualize his current interests and goals. Although the score and soundtrack are good, and feel utilized to continue to round out Neville’s characterization, it’s their absence during key scenes that’s most effective. The quiet, occasionally accentuated by the sounds of rapid breathing or animalistic wails in the night, is what’s most deafening.

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