We all have questioned our own existence and sometimes our relationships can feed into the great good of the universe. Such is the feeling and thinking that faces troubled Chris Rivers in David A. Roberts’ psychological noir OLDER GODS.
Chris (Rory Wilson) heads to Wales from Denver, leaving his pregnant partner Karen in limbo. His objective – to get to why his best friend Billy (Ieuan Coombs) and partner Paula (Lindsay Bennett-Thompson) tragically ended their lives. He decides to stay for few days at an isolated cottage where he looks at a package and posthumous messages from Billy, talking of alternate universes and questioning how our own seemingly insignificant time on the planet cannot be measured by our own mortality.
Before long, however, Chris suffers major delusions, not helped by visions of mysterious watchers in the woods and images played out on his cottage plasma that are starting to impact on his own sanity as much as Billy’s own reflections about where the universe plays a part in humanity…..
Atmospheric and unsettling compact psychological horror, echoing the likes of THE EVIL DEAD and CABIN FEVER, playing off implied horror and suspense with a solid usage of light and shadow throughout. Rory Wilson holds the frame competently as the main protagonist of the piece, drawn deeper and deeper into his late friend’s conflicts and mental deterioration as the story unfolds.
At its’ heart there are themes of guilt, mental health and a desire to atone for our sins when we need to be around. Although the climax of the film is partly sentimental, OLDER GODS does at least try to have some context and subtext amidst the blood and gore on show, with some admirable effects from the team of Andrew Sexton and Scott Bishop.
It’s not a perfect film by any means but competently-made nonetheless.
The London Independent Film Festival runs from 14th – 23rd April 2023.
For tickets and info, please go to:Â
https://genesiscinema.co.uk/GenesisCinema.dll/WhatsOn?pg=4&sp=4
For info about the Festival, please go to:
