Rating: B
Dir: Eric Shapiro and Tony Pietra Arjuna
Star: Eric Shapiro, GiGi Tasse, Zarith Zalikha, Gen Darwish
Initially, this is a little like Intrusive, in that it’s mostly two people in the same location, talking to each other. Except here, it’s the same person. I should probably explain. Anthony Poffo (Shapiro) is a horror writer, struggling to complete his trilogy of novels. The issue is, for his creative inspiration, he seems to have unwittingly tapped into another dimension. Or a parallel universe. Or something. Because a mysterious wooden mask shows up. And then a doppelganger of the writer. Except the double is different. Brash, abrasive and self-confident: everything the “real” Anthony is not. It’s bad enough when the alternate version is in the house, berating him. What if it gets out?
Naturally, this is a situation difficult for Anthony to explain to his therapist (Tasse), freely admitting the scenario sounds borderline psychotic. Things get even more bizarre when Anthony becomes convinced a telephone number he came up with for the book is real, and if he dials it, will connect him to one of his characters. So, he calls. Again, a little like Intrusive, the film then switches focus. The second half takes place in Malaysia, and focuses on a pair of siblings, Dania (Zalikha) and Faris (Darwish). Their mother is dead, but Dania is convinced she speaks to Mom’s ghost by a nearby tree. Their father, Amir, fears his wife was involved in witchcraft, and wants to take the children away. But he has some local “issues” to be dealt with first.
How much of this is really happening, and how much is inside Anthony’s head? Viewers who want a definitive answer might be left less than satisfied. However, if you’re simply willing to along for the ride, without needed a complete explanation, there’s a good deal to enjoy in this. The first half almost feels like a horror-skewed remake of Jim Carrey’s The Mask – though for whatever reason, I was getting Tony Bourdain vibes off Anthony v2.0. It is obviously far more restrained than The Mask. I’d still have liked to have seen where it might have gone: the idea of a deranged alter-ego is also reminiscent of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde.
Meanwhile, the second half is something which merits its own movie too. The mask shows up again as well, though there are other unexplained elements in this segment. Who are the figures, resembling Squid Game guards that mysteriously appear? Are these real people, whose experiences Anthony is unwittingly tapping into? Or just another figment of his deranged imagination? Once more, your opinion is as valid as mine, I’d say. Such indecisiveness on the part of the script might, under other circumstances prove annoying. Here though, I found myself reeled in to what is basically a novel genre mash-up. Put it this way: I don’t think I’ve often put the “crime” and “ghosts” tag on the same film before. Add “insanity” as well and, yeah, this could be a unique little item.
[The film will be out on streaming services later this year]