Joseph Rickman is a very strange man. Ever since a premonition permitted him to save the life of a young girl, the unhinged teacher can’t shake the sense that his entire destiny has been plotted out in advance. Numerous signs around him clearly suggest that his acts and decisions follow a preordained logic. Joseph can’t, however, convince those close to him of what he has come to believe. They’re convinced instead that he’s sliding into schizophrenia, the same way his father did so many years before. As Joseph’s mental wellbeing deteriorates, an atmosphere of dread settles on his surroundings. A stranger in ghastly garb has been seen lurking about the streets of his neighbourhood, his appearances coinciding with a string of inexplicable disappearances. Convinced that only Joseph’s psychic abilities can catch the culprit, the detective Clara Wilkie urges him to help her. He accepts her request, oblivious to the fact that his worst fears may soon be confirmed.
Miniscule budgets and creative freedom are often linked together, and with its transgressive spirit, THE END makes a stunning appearance on the landscape of DIY cinema. A gobsmacking cross between Charlie Kaufman and William Shakespeare, it is unquestionably the most original Canadian film of the year. By coming at the tropes of the film noir from an entirely unexpected angle, Jeremy Thomas fashions an audacious debut feature shot through with bitter laughter, pulling the strings of myriad contradictory emotions with a blend of uncanny hallucinatory visions, gripping and tightly executed action scenes, and side-splitting moments of absurdist comedy. Making Rickman’s madness the leitmotiv of a determined whodunit, Thomas leads us into a realm of the delirious where the standard rules of film narrative are shattered (and surprises us by handling the lead role himself, a bravura turn both nuanced and highly theatrical, a magnificent reflection of his character’s renegade psyche). A true post-modern nightmare from the fringe, THE END unquestionably announces an exceptional new talent.
For a couple reviews check out:
www.dreadcentral.com
efilmcritic.com
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