The Commune is a Psychological Thriller of the Darkest Most Unnerving Kind.
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The Commune from first time writer-director Elisabeth Fie is less a horror film than an intense and disturbing portrayal of a neopagan cult where the sexes are polarized - females are for sexual and procreation purposes and the male is the supreme deity. Cough, cough.
Horror Queen Says: A Bloody Thumbs Up!
Written by BHM Contributor Horror Queen
June 21, 2009
Movie Trailer
Official Site
Release: 2009
Written and Directed by: Elisabeth Fies
Starring:
Chauntal Lewis as Jenny Cross
David Lago as Puck
Stuart G. Bennett as Dr. Polieos
Adrian Lee as Rhea
Elisabeth Fies as Cassie Cross
Cindy Baer as Esmeralda
We’re first introduced to young Jenny Cross as she wakes up in the hospital and gouges out her own eyes with a pair of knitting needles, in front of her mother nonetheless. What would drive a beautiful, pregnant teen to do such a thing? As this psychological thriller unfolds, we not only understand why but wonder what took her so long.
The bulk of the film is a flashback to nine months earlier, when virginal Jenny is sent off to visit her estranged – or should I say strange - hippie cult guru father, Clark for the summer. As many hippie cult gurus do, Jenny’s father lives on a commune chock full of bohemian types including dad’s new concubine Rachel.
The commune lifestyle is definitely not for Jenny. And Stag’s Grove is not your average commune either. Aside from the usual nudity, living off the land and not paying taxes, residents seem to spend their time worshipping their leader to such an extent they’re driven to perform horrific acts on his behalf (think Charlie Manson).
Jenny’s 16th birthday falls on the Summer Solstice and everyone seems keenly aware of this, as if something beyond just a birthday party were to happen that day. Even Jenny’s romantic escape with local hunk, Puck cannot save her from her fate at the hands of the cult and in the end, her father.
Before his lord-of-the-commune days, Clark already had a dysfunctional past as a child molester and dead beat dad so the fact that he grew to be worshipped as a guru is all the more annoying.
When it comes down to it, The Commune is a fascinating look at the psychological influence of the cult, with the darkest kind of evil juxtaposed to a setting of lush, vibrant-colored scenery. And once the shocking truth is revealed, we are left wondering two things: 1) are we innately evil and easily driven to madness simply by following the leader? And 2) will Fies continue to make horror films because this barely classifies as one, or will she further explore the evil side of man that she has boldly tapped into here.
Horror Queen Says: A Bloody Thumbs Up!
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