MIFF 2024 Film Review - Blackout
Images courtesy of Common State.
In all its cinematic incarnations, the werewolf continually signifies our battle with darker impulse driven by innate primal instinct. Similarly to the Wendigo, an allegorical representation of unchecked consumption in the face of desperation; or the Mothman, who steals catalytic converters in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; the allure of folkloric symbolism continues to perpetuate into modern storytelling. But is there a limit to the flexibility of mythos in its application to metaphor? Larry Fessenden’s Blackout is a love letter to the Universal Classic Monsterverse entwined in layers of expository social commentary.
Charley (Alex Hurt), a local fine arts painter, is at odds with the world. At odds with the recent death of his emotionally distant father and disintegration of his relationship with Sharon (Addison Timlin); at odds with the shady ventures of local property magnate Hammond (Marshall Bell); and ultimately at odds with himself – a murderous lycanthrope. Yes, Charley is a werewolf, being responsible for a slew of brutal killings around the sleepy unassuming hamlet of Talbot Falls, which he feels very bad about. However, after a local migrant worker named Miguel (Rigo Garay) is implicated in the slayings, Charley becomes resigned to ending his reign of terror during the harvest moon – seeking to reconcile transgressions with friends and family and carve a path of self-redemption.
Unlike many of its lycanthropic cinematic contemporaries, Blackout eschews from more standardised werewolf tropes, instead opting for a more dialogue-driven angle that seeks to bring life to the residents of Talbot Falls. Suffice to say, much of this lies heavily upon the shoulders of Hurt, who shines in his stint as leading man whilst drawing strong parallels to the emotional resonance of David Kessler in An American Werewolf in London. In fact, at points channelling his father (the late William Hurt), the junior Hurt showcases an immensely palpable depth through his performance, sinking his teeth into the nuance and emotional complexity necessary for bringing the character of Charley to life.
However, whilst this emphasis on characterisation does offer a welcome change of pace from other contemporised folkloric iterations which merely utilise townspeople as fodder – it becomes completely scattered and loses all semblance of rhythm. With the film’s second act beleaguered by heavy exposition and dragged-out pacing, it struggles to corral every loose story thread leading to its conclusion. Pace should not be the price paid.
Offering a grander, far more offbeat iteration of the wolf man, Fessenden’s intentions in contemporising werewolf lore with social commentary yields a mixed result. Whilst applaudable in its attempt to meld lycanthropy with modern-day political concerns, Blackout is a poignant character study hampered by heavy-handed exposition which renders its bark worse than its bite. Ultimately however, it must be said – God bless Barbara Crampton.
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Blackout screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, running in cinemas and online August 8th-25th.
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