The Unraveling review: A film all about the worst cold turkey scenario ever.
The Unraveling review by Kat Hughes, Frightfest 2016.
The Unraveling review
With a name like ‘Horror Channel Frightfest’, audiences might expect that everything screening at the festival is a straight horror. Those people would be wrong though as the festival celebrates the dark heart of cinemas. This spectrum spans everything from black comedy to terse thrillers, moody science fiction to horrifying slashers. Four days of the same old horror trope would get boring quickly and The Unraveling is one film that deviates from the norm.
A debut from writer/director Thomas Jakobsen, this film focuses on the dark side of addiction (is there a good side?) and the bonds of male friendships. Michael (Zack Gold) is a recovering heroin addict – well he would be if he hadn’t fallen off of the wagon. Struggling to cope with impending fatherhood and financial worries he succumbs to temptation once more and steals money from the wrong people. The next day he’s kidnapped from work. It’s not what you think… his friends have stolen him away to the wilderness to throw him a belated bachelor party.
Michael subsequently finds himself stranded in the middle of nowhere on what is potentially the worst comedown in history. Things then go from bad to nightmarish as his friends start turning up dead. It appears that someone’s come to collect and Michael is next on their list.
The Unraveling review
The Unraveling is a great feature debut. Although set out in the wilderness, this is a film that manages to convey an oddly claustrophobic atmosphere. The use of drug addiction helps ratchet up the drama. Michael’s entire world starts to crumble and the viewer is taken on his breakdown with him. As Michael starts to question what is real, so does the viewer. As events unravel (see what we did there) the film moves in an unexpected direction. This new revelation spins the film in a different and unique manner, suddenly illuminating previous events in a new way.
The Unraveling review
At a svelte eighty-five minutes there’s a lot crammed in. Some of the story lines and character could do with a little bit more screen time to really develop. That being said what we do get is a great story that perfectly highlights the real plight of the reformed addict.
Usually films of this ilk, set in the woods, follow the same formula, but The Unraveling offers a new take. Proof that an old dog can show new tricks, this is a film with an interesting and refreshing hook.
The Unraveling forms part of this year’s Frightfest programme.
