Edinburgh 2010 Review: CHERRY TREE LANE
rating: 2.5
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(Re-posted our Edinburgh Film Festival review as the movie is on limited U.K. release from Friday)Cherry Tree Laneis a deeply unpleasant movie, which isnt necessarily a criticism, and a very effective one, which isnt necessarily praise. It is the third full-length feature from Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), who is undoubtedly an impressive young talent. Yet its story of the torment and torture of a helpless couple is something to be endured more than enjoyed, and when the end credits started rolling the general sense I got from the screening I was at was one of relief. It more or less fulfils its goals, but I am not entirely sure I approve of them. The premise is a nightmare scenario: three nefarious youngsters force their way into the household of a seemingly decent, middle-class couple. They are there because their son is mixed up in something and they intend to kill him. Exactly what the son has done to deserve their wrath is left unclear. They tie up the couple and take over the house while they await the return of their son. The leader of the pack, a truly vile character named Rian (Jumayn Hunter), quickly develops a sleazy attraction to the wife (played by Rachael Blake), his gazes provoking a real sense of dread in the viewer. Occasionally the focus is on the intruders for so long that is something of a jolt when we cut back to the helpless, beaten couple. Williamss camera virtually never leaves the couples home (except for an opening shot of their front door). The sense of claustrophobia is established very early, before the intruders even arrive. During the opening sequence I was almost leaning forward in my chair; almost nothing was happening, and I was fascinated by it. He has clearly honed his craft as a director, and has a Hitchcockian sense of how to build and release tension in scenes. When so many movies simply use close-ups for dramatic punctuation or workmanlike over-the-shoulder conversations, the way Paul Andrew Williams employs them seems almost groundbreaking. He understands the rhythm of scenes, not just dramatically but in terms of editing individual shots together. Without doubt, he knows what he is doing.