53rd San Francisco International Film Festival 22 April - 6 May 2010
FILMS/
THE VIOLENT KIND
The Late Show
USA, 2009, 95 minutes
SHOWTIMES
Sat, Apr 24 / 11:00 / Kabuki / VIOL24K
Tue, Apr 27 / 9:45 / Kabuki / VIOL27K
CREDITS
- dir
-
Butcher Brothers
- prod
-
Michael Ferris Gibson, Jeffrey Allard, Andy Gould, Malek Akkad
- scr
-
Butcher Brothers
- cam
-
James Laxton
- editor
-
Nic Hill
- mus
-
Joshua Myers
- cast
-
Cory Knauf, Taylor Cole, Bret Roberts, Christina Prousalis
- source
-
The Violent Kind, LLC, 1122 Idylberry Road, San Rafael, CA 94903. EMAIL: michaelferrisgibson@gmail.com.
On the hottest day of the year in Northern California, a quartet of friends heads up to a rural cabin for a birthday party, little knowing the horrific circumstances that await them there. The cabin belongs to the mother of young ex-jailbird Cody (Cory Knauf) and also serves as the clubhouse for a local motorcycle gang with deep ties to the family. Joining Cody for the festivities are his best friends Quentin (Bret Roberts) and Elroy (Nick Tagas) as well as Quentin’s girlfriend Shade (Taylor Cole). Amid the beer and smoke, though, are some simmering hostilities toward Cody, who is responsible for a recent drug deal going wrong. But bikers become the least of the pals’ problems when demonic possession and a mysterious bunch of rockabilly types enter the mix. The first sign that the party won’t be winding down in normal fashion is when Cody’s ex-girlfriend Michelle (Tiffany Shepis) is found outside the house, covered in blood and muttering to herself. Matters really take a turn for the weird when the gang of greasers arrives, announcing murderous aims and nefarious plans for Michelle. As the two groups face off and tensions and mysteries mount, the film becomes increasingly graphic and claustrophobic. Shot with impressive style by James Laxton (who lensed Medicine for Melancholy, SFIFF 2008) and featuring a broad range of memorable characters, the resulting work offers thrills of a very original kind.
—Rod Armstrong
