Child's Play Versus Border

Looks are deceiving

Lars Klevberg's Child's Play is an uninspired reboot of the "Chucky" franchise. Direction and acting are competent enough, but the film is toothless. Instead of reveling in Chucky's raging id, we are treated to middlebrow critiques of capitalism and media violence. An utterly forgettable film.

On a much higher plane of cinema is Ali Abbasi's unsettling Border. Border is equal parts horror film, fairy tale, allegory and romance. The plot requires a total suspension of disbelief and contains elements bound to alienate some. Its bravery cemented my admiration. Abbasi plunges wholeheartedly into his outrageous premise, but realizes the shocks of his scenario need no visual pyrotechnics. Instead, the focus is on his performers and his two leads, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff, offer two of the most compellingly romantic performances I've seen. The detonate erotically despite, or is it because of, their Neanderthal like appearance. They embody opposing responses to human culture: female accommodation versus masculine rascality. A memorable film that is best not spoiled to the uninitiated.