Tag: fear

He wants you bad. “Fear” (1996)

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directed by James Foley
© 1996 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

After watching this film, I’ll never look at Mark Wahlberg the same way again… I swear… I mean, he’s always had this a bit creepy vibe in his eyes, but with this production he proved that playing a villain can be his thing. But before the villain appears, let me introduce you to the protagonist of the story: Nicole (Reese Witherspoon). She’s a teenager living with her father, stepmother and half-brother. One day, while spending time with friends at a café, Nicole spots a cute guy, who also doesn’t hide his interest towards the girl. His name is David (Mark Wahlberg) and he actually is a charming guy. I guess you don’t need to be rocket scientists to guess that those two start dating and everything seems perfect between them. However, Nicole’s dad doesn’t seems to trust David that much. If you think it’s just a father being a father, then let me assure you it’s not the case. There’s something not right with the way David behaves, but Nicole doesn’t seem to bother until the boy starts being aggressive. And it’s not the worst he can do… It all seems like a teenage love story, but the longer you’re watching, the creepier it becomes. In fact, the title of the film couldn’t be better. Even though I kind of guessed what the story would be about, I felt uncomfortable each time I saw David on the screen. Or even when I felt like he’s somewhere there, observing other characters… On the one hand I wanted to say that if you’re a parent, you shouldn’t watch this film, because you’ll probably keep your daughters in their rooms until they’re in their 40s. But on the other hand, perhaps such production may actually remind parents to listen to their intuition and educate their children about such relations. I’m aware that sometimes it’s impossible to discourage your teenager from dating someone they like, but trying to warn them seems important. A fun fact: Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of David, but he refused. Well, I’m actually glad, because even though I find him a talented actor, I definitely loved Mark in this one. He managed to creep me out by just being present, which is some amazing skill if you ask me. Anyway, if you’re looking for some chills from the 90s with an intense story and great acting, then this one is perfect.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Agarics are my favourite mushrooms because they’re simple and plain. “Fear” (“Strah”, 2020)

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directed by Ivaylo Hristov
© 2020 Profilm. All Rights Reserved.

What would you say for a Bulgarian production about the irrational world we’re living in? I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic. We get to know Svetla (Svetlana Yancheva), a simple woman living in a village close to the Bulagarian-Turkish border. She has recently lost her husband and her job. One day, she bumps into a stranger in the forest. He turns out to be Bamba (Michael Flemming), a refugee from Africa. Svetla doesn’t speak English and isn’t very friendly towards Bamba, but the more time they spend together, the more similarities between each other they notice. However, this bonding isn’t happening in the most peaceful circumstances as people in the village are rather prejudiced and see Bamba as some kind of threat. At some point Svetla has to decide whether she keeps getting to know Bamba or she will kick him out of her house as everybody around them would do. For the first hour, I was rather curious about the story and, to be honest, it didn’t give me any chills or excitement. But after the idea for the film finally sank into my brain, I realised that I really really really enjoy it. You may feel lost at first, but in the end I’m sure that a lot of you will appreciate what they did there. Basically, it’s a film about fear. The fear that we feel towards everything we don’t know. And because of that fear, we tend to create strange scenarios in our heads, which later turn into non-existing realities in which we’re stuck as people. Shortly speaking, here we have a story of villagers who are scared of a black-skinned refugee speaking another language. And since meeting such person is a new experience for them all, they behave the only way they can. If someone tells them that such person is dangerous, they will automatically be cautious. Lack of linguistic competences leads to frustration and many misunderstandings, but we often don’t even care to think about it. It’s just easier to accept the most popular scenario, even if it’s absolutely made up. I’m really thrilled that I found this film and even more about sharing it with you now. What’s more, and it’s unusual in my case, I appreciate that it’s in black and white, but it’s because it makes sense – you just need to watch till the end to understand. I honestly finished this film saying “I loved it!” and I hope you’ll be equally excited. And way more open-minded towards the unknown.

My rating: 7/10
S.