Writer: Justin Benson
Directors: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In 2012, I saw Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's debut feature Resolution, a movie which defied - and, having seen it twice more since, still defies - categorisation. Is it a horror movie? Sci-fi? Mystery? It's all these things and more and I love it. I'm pleased to say that their follow-up, Spring, is another beguiling genre-hop which skilfully mixes elements of romance, horror, sci-fi, drama and gorgeously-filmed travelogue all topped off with a dollop of twisted humour.
Lou Taylor Pucci stars as Evan who, due to a mounting series of personal issues, leaves the US and heads to Europe, pitching up in Italy where he initially runs into some very drunk Brits (possibly drawn from Benson and Moorhead's personal experience of the Celluloid Screams 2012 festival crowd - personally, as one of that crowd, I couldn't comment) before his path crosses with that of Louise (Nadia Hilker). Louise is a student who's carrying out genetic research at a local institution. She's smart, attractive and very, very mysterious and the development of the relationship between this intriguing girl and Evan forms the core of the movie.
Of course, with this being a Benson and Moorhead movie, it's not just a straightforward boy meets girl story. As befits a classic romantic tale, there's something about Louise that she really doesn't want Evan to know but this is given a spin the like of which you're highly unlikely to have seen many times before. Louise also has a past - and what a past it is. Beyond that, I'm telling you nothing else. It'll spoil your enjoyment of Spring, trust me.
As a great proportion of this movie is a two-hander between the characters of Evan and Louise the performances of the leads really have to work and they do so magnificently. Pucci makes Evan a flawed but principled, caring and likeable guy who you don't mind spending time with and Hilker is perfect as the strange, fiercely intelligent, alluring Louise. It's all too easy to see why Evan falls for her in a big way. In Evan's shoes, I'd have been following her around like a lovesick puppy. Kudos to everyone involved in the casting process; Nadia Hilker is a genuinely amazing find.
Some may carp that the pace of Spring is too leisurely, in which case those people should stop carping right now. This is a film where you have to take the time to get to know the characters, an approach which pays off handsomely when the mysteries of the plot begin to be revealed and both characters have to come to terms with the situation and how it effects both the present and their potential futures. They're faced with big decisions and they're given time to work through them in a very real and considered way.
As you've probably guessed by now, I think this movie is absolutely wonderful. The Italian backdrop is sumptuously shot, lingering views of sun-washed fields contrasting with dazzling moments where the camera races along, soars over and plunges down the coastline. The performances by the whole cast are excellent; in addition to Pucci and Hilker's winning turns, I'd like to give a special mention to Francesco Carnelutti who's just brilliant as a wily old olive farmer Evan is working for in order to keep himself in cash to continuing his wooing of Louise. As for the script, Justin Benson's dialogue is snappy and witty without being too knowingly smart for its own good. There are effective, pleasingly icky sequences for the horror crowd and the suspense is cranked up expertly but these things don't undercut that fact that this is a warm and oddly sweet film with an especially satisfying conclusion.
Yes, Spring is a difficult movie to pigeonhole but that's the whole point. Go with it, be willing to cross those genre boundaries and I think you'll love it as much as I do.
Some may carp that the pace of Spring is too leisurely, in which case those people should stop carping right now. This is a film where you have to take the time to get to know the characters, an approach which pays off handsomely when the mysteries of the plot begin to be revealed and both characters have to come to terms with the situation and how it effects both the present and their potential futures. They're faced with big decisions and they're given time to work through them in a very real and considered way.
As you've probably guessed by now, I think this movie is absolutely wonderful. The Italian backdrop is sumptuously shot, lingering views of sun-washed fields contrasting with dazzling moments where the camera races along, soars over and plunges down the coastline. The performances by the whole cast are excellent; in addition to Pucci and Hilker's winning turns, I'd like to give a special mention to Francesco Carnelutti who's just brilliant as a wily old olive farmer Evan is working for in order to keep himself in cash to continuing his wooing of Louise. As for the script, Justin Benson's dialogue is snappy and witty without being too knowingly smart for its own good. There are effective, pleasingly icky sequences for the horror crowd and the suspense is cranked up expertly but these things don't undercut that fact that this is a warm and oddly sweet film with an especially satisfying conclusion.
Yes, Spring is a difficult movie to pigeonhole but that's the whole point. Go with it, be willing to cross those genre boundaries and I think you'll love it as much as I do.
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