DVD Review: LOCK-UP - Think Dodgy Spanish Version Of Skins Mixed With A Clockwork Orange

Teenage rebellion, exasperated parents, drugs, drink, sex, torture, violence and experimental filming techniques all combine to produce Lock-Up, the recent Spanish film that looks at parenting and the extreme lengths taken to discipline an unruly child.

Teenage rebellion, exasperated parents, drugs, drink, sex, torture, violence and experimental filming techniques all combine to produce Lock-Up, the recent Spanish film that looks at parenting and the extreme lengths taken to discipline an unruly child. Released today on DVD, our review follows. Luis (Adolfo Fernandez) is the single father of 16-year-old Fran (Marcel Borras), whose behaviour is bringing him to the edge of depression. As Fran starts to drink heavily, constantly get into trouble and take drugs, his behaviour begins to take a slippery slope into the depths of despondency. After attempting to confront Fran about his irrational and extreme behaviour, Luis decides that his son€™s attitude and unwillingness to behave will force him to take severe measures. Discovering a teenage rehabilitation centre called C.I.M.C.A online, Luis is immediately ready to take their offer to re-educate his troubled and problematic son. Taken by force, Fran finds himself shoved into the back of a van and taken away at his behest. Once at the centre Fran soon discovers that it is their aim to re-educate and eventually re-integrate the troubled teens back into society, by teaching them the true values of discipline and respect. However, with unnecessarily strict rules and an unfair point system, the centre is not quite what outside world believes it to be. The regular use of excessive brutal force, cruel psychological terrorism and real torture throughout the centre means that it is only a matter of time before the outside world discovers the truth or the teenagers rebel against the inhumane conditions and repulsive adults€ Lock-Up is a strange film. It tries to combine an edgy teen drama narrative with an array of experimental or inventive filmmaking techniques, but ultimately comes across as a jumbled mess of mixed emotions that lack cohesion. On the one hand it critiques teenage conformity, criticising the bleak and uniform existence of the reform centre 'Families'. However, it also condemns Fran's out of control behaviour that is jeopardising his relationship with his worried father. Combining this convoluted plot with a variety of odd visual techniques, Lock Up appears to want to be a solid piece of art cinema. It fails to impress on this level though, by confusing slow motion montages, kaleidoscopic shots and repetitive jump cuts with the creation of an artistic film. The narrative is utterly reprehensible, with the re-education centre being more like a place of child abuse and torture (even the kinder leaders) than somewhere troubled teens can resolve their issues. Allegedly based on true events, the behaviour modification centre resembles a more horrific place than the one Malcolm McDowell is sent to in A Clockwork Orange, making the film even more incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Unbearable almost all the way through, the film is dire. Combined with the irritating style and the complete lack of sense that can be made from the narrative, Lock Up is at worst virtually unwatchable and at best mind-numbingly confusing.

QUALITY

The film holds up relatively well on DVD, but is plagued with a certain amount of grain. Whilst this isn't overly annoying and certainly does compliment the grit of the narrative, it's ultimately too noticeable to be able to ignore entirely. The colour scheme is muted and dull, reflecting the disturbing uniform expected within the centre. The sickly yellows, deep blacks and clinical whites and greys of the rehabilitation centre are clear and crisp, but create a depressing and unsettling palette that isn't easy on the eyes. This contrasts greatly with the colour schemes outside the complex - or indeed simply outside -which appear vibrant and cheerful in comparison. The audio quality is strong, with the sound filling the full range of speakers through a combination of dialogue, ambient sound and the musical soundtrack. My only gripe is with the fact that there are a number of grammatical inaccuracies with the subtitles that interrupt the flow viewers build up whilst reading them. This is not a massive problem, but can be rather irritating after the first couple of instances.

EXTRAS

Lock Up does not come with any additional special features. Film: 1 out of 5 Uncomfortable to watch and more concerned with appearing visually artistic than engaging, Lock Up is confusing and disturbing. Unlikely to appeal to more than a handful of viewers, the only word that seems fitting enough to describe it is reprehensible. Visuals: 3 out of 5 The picture quality is passable, but grain afflicts most shots and a dull and depressing colour scheme is employed for the majority of scenes. This simply adds to the unpleasant viewing experience. Audio: 3.5 out of 5 The sound is probably the best feature of the release, with an eclectic musical soundtrack and clear dialogue throughout (although this will only be of real benefit for those fluent in Spanish). Making use of all speakers, the sound is extremely proficient on this release. Extras: 0 out of 5 No additional features are supplied - very disappointing. Presentation: 2 out of 5 Not quite fully capturing the brutal and horrific nature of the narrative, the front cover is far tamer than the images within the film. Overall: 1 out of 5 A poor film receives an equally poor release - literally not worth the disc it's recorded on, Lock Up is - for lack of a better word - utter tripe!
Contributor

Stuart Cummins hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.