«The Dark»: when horror heals itself

Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) - Hélène Lavoyer

For his first feature film, Justin P. Lange takes us into the cursed woods of Devil's Den («The Devil's Lair»), where a monster resides. The Dark is a morbid epic of the healing process, touching on themes of a reality we can't ignore.

«Didn't your mother ever tell you? It was curiosity that killed the cat.»

Mina (Nadia Alexander), a teenager who feeds on human flesh and blood in places of Devil's Den,One day, Mina is disturbed by Josef (Karl Markovics), who has taken refuge in the forest with Alex (Toby Nichols), a 15-year-old boy he has kidnapped and mutilated. After murdering him and burping up some of his carne, Mina discovers the burnt-eyed boy in the trunk of the car that had brought Josef to her.

The two characters, bound together by a past of trauma and violence, begin to build a friendship that will seep musically into Mina's guts, helping her to annihilate the force of her inner devil. Alex, for his part, will be supported and helped by the young girl, who, despite her monster-like appearance and horrific facility for killing, will enable him to envisage a future free of abuse.

Deep hatred

After the screening, you leave the room astonished. Amazed, above all, by the script, which evolves quietly, allowing itself to be discovered bit by bit, as we learn more about the characters and their profoundly violent stories. Initially offering a straightforward portrayal of horror and anguish, with the creaking of doors and moments of silence violently interrupted by Mina's axe strokes, the screenplay goes on to reveal the story behind the young girl's hatred.

As these elements of a brutal life course in which she was raped and almost murdered by her own mother's friend are revealed, Mina's anger takes on a whole new meaning, and the devil that seemed to possess her is revealed instead to be a deep-seated hatred, born of the unspeakable suffering she has endured. Alex, on the other hand, shows another side of the trauma: the one who, resigned and fearful, respects the will of his tormentor, terrified at the idea of having to face him, without hating him.

Friendship as healing

From these two ways of suffering also emanate the themes of the healing process and the need for the other to grow and regain control over one's own past. This theme is subtly brought to the screen by Mina's appearance and violence, which diminish over the course of the conversations and other moments of sharing with Alex, and finally disappear completely. Her scarred face and angry black eyes gradually give way to the pretty face of her talented interpreter, Nadia Alexander.

What's more, the technical work on sound and image are both well-polished. From the camera's almost-invisible but highly distressing advance as Josef stands alone in Mina's room to the bluish reminiscences of his past life, the shots seem to have been thought through and perfected to the point of excellence. What's more, the play of this sometimes happy, sometimes horrifying melody, which takes the viewer by the heart and carries him from sequence to sequence, is intelligent and masterful.

So just how much are our emotions, traumas and memories a possession? What are the ways out of the straitjacket of isolation and fear that drives violence? The Dark, a horror film in the service of the possibility of healing and friendship, provides some clues and, above all, a magnificent hope coupled with a willingness to listen to the most heartbreaking stories in order to admire their healing.

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Write to the author: helene.lavoyer@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © NIFFF