As most Canadian film is recognized as either unduly reflective and sombre or irreverently goofy, it comes as a breath of fresh air to find an offering of local cinema which achieves a tone dabbling in both without overdosing on either. In fact, director Alexandre Franchi's film delights in misleading its audience, opening with a terse, exhilarating Nordic battle only to have it interrupted by a participant whining "Okay, are we done now?", thus exposing the film to be set in the world of LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) - fantasy nerds dressing up in Medieval attire and enacting staged combat.
But Franchi's trickery does not stop there, leading with comedic sequences detailing hapless but charming Erik (Ricky Mabe)'s bemused quest to reclaim his fled girlfriend (Kaniehtio Horn, both wryly funny and tragically sombre) from the ranks of the costumed performers, led by Erik's gregarious brother Bjorn (hilarious, show stealing Mark Antony Krupa), only to undercut the seeming frivolity with continual flashes to mystical divine rites and an eerie continuous Norse musical drone, suggesting all is far from fine and dandy.
Naturally, things take a turn for the worse in a plot twist reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, but the real surprise is how deeply chilling the film becomes and how quickly, exploring the feral violence allegedly at the core of each person and the worrisome disconnect between fantasy and reality in an isolated microcosm of chaos. Nonetheless, Franchi's film remains ultimately just as fun a watch as an intense, thought- provoking one, neatly intertwining the two excesses of his national cinema into one highly compelling blend.
-8/10
But Franchi's trickery does not stop there, leading with comedic sequences detailing hapless but charming Erik (Ricky Mabe)'s bemused quest to reclaim his fled girlfriend (Kaniehtio Horn, both wryly funny and tragically sombre) from the ranks of the costumed performers, led by Erik's gregarious brother Bjorn (hilarious, show stealing Mark Antony Krupa), only to undercut the seeming frivolity with continual flashes to mystical divine rites and an eerie continuous Norse musical drone, suggesting all is far from fine and dandy.
Naturally, things take a turn for the worse in a plot twist reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, but the real surprise is how deeply chilling the film becomes and how quickly, exploring the feral violence allegedly at the core of each person and the worrisome disconnect between fantasy and reality in an isolated microcosm of chaos. Nonetheless, Franchi's film remains ultimately just as fun a watch as an intense, thought- provoking one, neatly intertwining the two excesses of his national cinema into one highly compelling blend.
-8/10