Movie: La rupture (1970)

(The Breach)

Premiere: August 26, 1970
Country of origin: France, Italy, Belgium
Director: Claude Chabrol
Writer: 
Charlotte Armstrong, Claude Chabrol
Production Companies: 
Ciné Vog Films, Euro International Films, Les Films de la Boétie
Distributed: A.R.T.E.
Genre: Psychological Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 2h 4min
Starring: 
Stéphane Audran, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Jean-Claude Drouot, Michel Bouquet   

I randomly came across the streaming site A.R.T.E. (Association Relating to European Television), a European cultural platform that shares films, documentaries and curated programming for free. While browsing there I found this film and decided to watch it without knowing much in advance. I just found it interesting to randomly find a French film from 1970 there.

The film opens with a domestic rupture that already feels slightly out of rhythm with expectation. A violent incident involving Hélène (Stéphane Audran), her husband,Charles (Jean-Claude Drouot) and their child, this sets the tone, but even this moment is not framed in a fully conventional dramatic way. Emotional reactions feel slightly displaced and the scene carries an odd calm underneath its surface intensity. From the beginning, the film seems less interested in clarity and more interested in perception.

What follows is not a linear unfolding of events, but a gradual shift in where meaning sits. Hélène becomes the center of an attempt to influence the outcome, where her father in law, Ludovic (Michel Bouquet) brings in Mr. Thomas (Jean-Pierre Cassel) to construct a case against her. From there, Thomas gradually moves into a central focus position, sometimes even more present than Hélène.

A large part of the film takes place in a contained environment, a boarding house near the hospital becomes the main setting, where different lives overlap, observe each other and slowly affect one another. Over time, it takes on a quality similar to an Agatha Christie setup, not because of a classic mystery structure, but because of how contained it is and how much meaning comes from interaction rather than action.

  

Within this house, a small ecosystem of personalities forms. The Pinelli couple run the space, with the woman acting as the main social anchor while the man is more the janitor. Three gossiping women dominate much of the social rhythm, spending their time playing cards and exchanging judgments that quietly shape the atmosphere. 

An outspoken actor moves through the space with a louder presence, shifting attention whenever he enters a scene. A doctor connected to the nearby hospital appears in fragments, sometimes grounding events in a more factual register. Among them is Elise, a socially distant young woman who initially feels peripheral but gradually becomes drawn into the same network of influence and pressure.

In terms of tone, the film reminded me of works like Repulsion (1965) and Persona (1966) in the way identity and emotional stability feel unstable and hard to pin down. At the same time, the way information is revealed through small interactions and controlled framing gives the film a very particular flow. There is an unexpected ease in how people behave and speak, even when the situation underneath is tense or unclear. Combined with the slow, slightly mysterious unfolding of events, it creates a rhythm that oddly recalls The Adventures of Tintin, not in content, but in how straightforward interactions carry the story forward through movement, encounters and timing rather than explanation.

What stands out most is how the film trusts fragmentation. It rarely gives full answers in dialogue or exposition, instead letting meaning emerge through partial views, shifting context and what is left unsaid. Understanding is always slightly delayed and interpretation becomes part of watching rather than something done after the fact.

One of the most memorable tonal shifts comes with the scenes involving Elise, especially a sequence built around a 16mm projection of a very authentic looking erotic film, likely made by Thomas girlfriend that seems to be play an erotic actor. It appears almost out of nowhere and changes the atmosphere in a way that feels both unsettling, very dark and strangely detached. It is always interesting to see a film inside a film. The 16mm film was some erotic ritual short. 

It was an interesting experience following this manipulative thread and seeing where it leads, even as the perspective keeps shifting and certainty never fully settles. The film is well acted and the stakes are high, especially around a child’s future and a mother pushed into instability. That gives it a darker weight underneath the shifting social dynamics and interpretations. I enjoyed it,
7/10

Would had love to see that 16mm film separated in full. I found the ritual aspect of it adding an interesting layer.

Links:
Watch it on arte.tv - Available until 14/07/2026
https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/127428-000-A/the-breach/

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066318

Check out this very interesting trailer, with clapperboard present. 

Article written by: Sonny Mikszath

Movie: Dead Again (1991)

Premiere: August 23, 1991
Country of origin: USA/UK
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Scott Frank
Production Companies: Paramount Pictures
Distributed: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 1h 47min
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia 

I have not seen that much of Kenneth Branagh outside the three Poirot films, all of which are very well made. His performance in those is very strong, especially in how he carries the character and directing with detail and control. I have also seen his work in Frankenstein, which was solid. 

It is very impressive to see how much he handles in this film. He is not only acting in a dual role but also directing the entire project. That level of control over both performance and structure is rare, I would say and it shows in how tightly the film is constructed. 

  

At its core, the story seems simple at first. A black and white 1940s murder case involving the Strauss, where the husband is suspected of killing his wife. But very quickly it becomes unclear if it is really that simple. In present time, detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) is helping a young woman (Emma Thompson) with no clear memory of who she is. The question slowly grows, is she connected to the events from the 1940s, or is something else going on? 

 

This story is full of twists and turns. The more you try to analyze it, the stranger it becomes. It plays with perception in a way that keeps shifting what you think is real.

One of the strongest parts is the 1940s setting. It feels very authentic, how it is framed, paced, the lighting, the camera movement and the dialogue rhythm all feel like they belong to that era of movie making. It does not feel like a modern film imitating the 40s, it feels like stepping into a movie from that era.

  

The mystery structure is also the main strength. Hypnosis, memory, identity and past reconstruction create a strong “guessing game” effect, where you are never fully stable in what you believe. It constantly shifts what feels like fact and what feels like interpretation, so you are always re-evaluating earlier scenes in a new light. Just when something feels solved, another layer appears that reframes it again, keeping the viewer in a constant state of uncertainty without ever fully locking into a single explanation.

The cast also adds a lot to the experience. One of the really fun parts of going back and discovering older films like this is suddenly recognizing actor after actor showing up. You start noticing, “wait, I know that person,” then another appears and another. It slowly turns into a full surprise star gallery filled with actors you recognize from later famous roles and productions. That makes the movie even more enjoyable to revisit and analyze today.

 

Kenneth Branagh as Mike Church/Roman Strauss
The detective figure gives a grounded performance that anchors the chaos of the film. His gradual descent from control into confusion becomes one of the strongest parts of the tension. Then the music composer Roman Strauss in the 40´s. It is also truly amazing to see Kenneth Branagh handling such a complex dual role while also directing the movie. That level of control over both performance and filmmaking is honestly very impressive.

 

Emma Thompson as Grace / Margaret Strauss
Emma Thompson does a fantastic job with her dual layered performance as well. She carries the emotional instability of the story very naturally, shifting between vulnerability, confusion, fear, and mystery. Since the film constantly plays with identity and perception, her performance is essential in making the audience question what is really happening.

  

Andy García as Gray Baker
Andy García’s character is very well structured and well played too. Baker becomes an important pressure point within the mystery, especially in how information slowly unfolds around him. García gives the role a calm but emotionally loaded presence that works very well within the noir inspired atmosphere of the film.

  

Robin Williams plays the hypnotist Dr. Cozy Carlisle. His role is interesting and memorable, but feels more like a thematic guide than a core part of the main plot. Though the story would still function without him in a structural sense.

Some honorable mentions.

 

Wayne Knight appears in a noticeable role and while not central to the story, he adds texture to the world and contributes to the unfolding suspicion and public perception around the mystery. He is a very recognizable actor from roles such as Seinfeld and Jurassic Park.

Raymond Cruz shows up very, very briefly as the Supermarket Clerk. It is only a tiny scene, maybe five seconds long, but I recognized him almost immediately even though the shot is a bit blurry. That actually sent me off on a side track looking through his IMDb page, which was fun in itself. Wait he is in Gremlins? Fun. Some years later he would become more widely known for modern crime and gangsta style roles in film and TV shows.

 

Another small role that stood out was the late Lois Hall, who plays the first nurse we see early in the movie. She had a very long acting career going all the way back to the 1940s, which fits the atmosphere of this film perfectly.

There are of course more recognizable faces throughout the movie, but these were some that stood out the most to me this time around.

This film sure was really interesting and good, the tone stays consistent throughout, balancing noir atmosphere with psychological tension. The pacing builds steadily.

I rate it a solid 9/10.
In the end, it is less about solving a simple murder mystery and more about watching how perception, memory and suggestion can reshape reality itself.

ps. If you come this far and read, look at the poster at the top again, did you only see the female? Look again. 

Article written by: Sonny Mikszath

Movie: Herman (2025)

 

Premiere: December 2, 2025
Country of origin: USA
Directed by: Andrew Vogel
Written by: Andrew Vogel
Production Companies: VP Independent, LBM Pictures
Distributed by: S&R Films
 Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Runtime: 1 hour, 23 minutes
Starring: 
Colin Ward, Suzann Toni Petrongolo, Lawson Greyson, 
Alex James, Soni Theresa Montgomery, Lamar Alexander

Herman is the story of someone in a very dark place—and that place is becoming a physical manifestation. Imagine a low-budget Jacob’s Ladder or Silent Hill, and you’ll have the right idea of where it’s headed. The writer and director is Andrew Vogel, an independent filmmaker behind, VP Independent, a company in L.A. It’s never an easy job, but I hope they keep making their dreams come true, because Herman shows real promise. It reminds me a bit of Benson and Moorhead. And just like them, this film explores a supernatural story in a limited space with limited resources—and it’s very engaging as a viewer. So let’s get down to the plot!

Herman is an experienced old man, living in a secluded cabin in a landscape so remote that he barely meets anyone. Life is wearing him down, and he has hung a noose in his private study. Its shadow is visible through the window into the living room—a constant reminder. His past is tormenting him to the point where the pain becomes unbearable. One stormy night, there’s a knock on the door. Two nuns enter, and Herman must confront his past.

The film takes place mainly inside this cabin, and it doesn’t feel like a real place. It’s so isolated that it feels more like an emotional space than a physical one. It’s clear that Herman isn’t just mentally unstable—he seems forgotten, confused, as if he can’t place himself or his surroundings. He is lost. Colin Ward delivers a performance that is beyond great as Herman. There’s one scene in particular where he listens to a conversation between two other characters, and what they say triggers a chain reaction of powerful emotions within him. The way Colin expresses these feelings is like a boiling stew—pure perfection.

The film does have a problem that is common in this type of story. There’s a point where it feels like a scene is missing. The version I saw was a preview, so that could explain why it felt a bit off. The scene I’m talking about is where another visitor suddenly cries out that his girlfriend is dead—it comes out of nowhere, almost like a flash. The visitors in the cabin are also rather weak as characters. They don’t feel entirely real. I assume this was intentional, but it made some scenes feel a bit dull. The two nuns  are played by Suzann Tony Petrongolo and Soni Theresa Montgomery. And unfortunately, they don’t do much to me. The actors are doing a good job, but the characters don’t have that much to work with. The director plays a secondary character, and I think that role was a bit too obvious. It was used as a storytelling device more than a character. At times, the film overexplains its symbolism, which is always a tricky balance in films like this. Like any art form, it’s hard to know when you’ve gone too far. Thankfully, the film picks up again in the last half hour, but there’s about a 20-minute stretch in the middle that didn’t quite land for me.

The sound design is phenomenal. The dialogue is very clear, and the cinematography is stellar—far better than I expected.

7 out of 10. I know my rating might seem a bit low, but keep in mind that the positives outweigh the flaws. I would definitely recommend this to the right audience any day of the week.

Check out the companion video here with the writer/director/producer and Editor Andrew Vogel 

IMDB: 
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34938727
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559623590014
VP Independent: https://www.instagram.com/vpindie/

Instagram:
@vpindie
@andrewmakesmovies
@zanntoni

http://www.euroobscura.com/

Article written by: Robin Andersson
https://filmfett.wordpress.com/

Movie: Lunamancer (2021) + Video

Premiere:
September 17, 2021 (Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival)
Country of origin: USA
Directed by: Noah Mucci
Written by: Noah Mucci, Matt Patterson
Produced by: Ooze Productions
Distributed by: Indie Rights
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy
Runtime:1h11min
Starring: 
Jake Pirkkanen, Nicki Clyne, Nick Denning

Sometimes you don’t find a movie, it finds you.

I was digging through filmography connected to Cannibal Holocaust (1980), curious about what
the cast had done before and after. That’s how I ended up looking into Perry Pirkanen. While
browsing, I came across Lunamancer (2021). I checked out the trailer and instantly got a bit of a
Falling Down (1993) vibe from it.

Out of curiosity, I got in contact with one of the writers, who ended up sending me a physical Blu-
ray copy for review. That alone already made the experience feel special.

What I didn’t realize until the movie arrived was something kind of funny. Looking at IMDb, I
noticed I apparently own every movie Perry Pirkanen has ever appeared in:
Not that many, but still.

All good movies too and all physical editions.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) – Jack Anders

City of the Living Dead (1980) – Blond Gravedigger (uncredited)

Cannibal Ferox (1981) – Paul (uncredited)

Then next he can be seen in this Lunamancer , let´s see if we find him...
 
The film starts strong. I won’t spoil anything, but the opening works as a real hook. It immediately
makes you want to keep watching just to understand what’s going on. Then the music kicks in. Hard. By Composers Evan Michael Brown and Shayon Daniels. It has this powerful retro energy, almost like an epic thriller from the 80s. As the film goes on the soundtrack starts to feels like something straight out of Drive (2011), mixed with the synth-heavy atmosphere of Stranger Things. That blend works incredibly well and gives the movie a strong identity. 

The story follows Isaac Blake, a man driven by a strong grief. He’s searching for his missing sister, trying to understand what happened to her, where is she? Isaac is very unstable and believable. If someone close to you disappears, that kind of emotional breakdown feels real rather than exaggerated.

Based on the trailer, I expected something closer to Falling Down. What I got instead was a better
slower and more introspective drama-thriller with light fantasy elements woven in. The film leans
heavily into psychological territory. There are moments where reality feels uncertain, like memory
itself might be distorting the truth. That aspect gave me strong Silent Hill vibes, where you’re never
fully sure what is real and what is shaped by the character’s mind.

One thing that stood out was the use of VHS-style filters and flickering effects. It’s not overused,
but when it appears, it adds a layer of unease and reinforces the retro aesthetic.
There’s also a short crowbar scene that immediately brought to mind the famous hammer hallway
sequence from Oldboy (2003). It’s brief, but very well executed and visually striking.

Oldboy (2003)

The Blu-ray release includes a commentary and a VHS version of the film, which is a really nice
touch. It fully commits to the retro style the movie is going for and it shows that the aesthetic wasn’t
just a surface choice, but part of the film’s identity, I wonder if this is the original version...

Coming back to where this started, Perry Pirkanen plays Gordon Blake, Isaac’s father. Doing a sweet and nice role. It’s always interesting to see actors from older cult films appear in newer movies. One do miss that mustache right.

On another note the actress Nicki Clyne that played the missing sister Sue is famous for being in the Battlestar Galactica show. 

Overall, Lunamancer is a deeply atmospheric and emotional experience. It feels surprisingly
European in tone, even though it’s an American production. It takes its time, leans into mood and
psychology and trusts the audience to sit with its ambiguity.

Rating: 8/10 A slow-burning, stylish thriller that sticks with you.

 

Links:
IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13635040
Homepage: https://lunamancer.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lunamancer2023

A bit extra for this, it is a first even for the blog, a Companion video with the makers, where they talk about the movie, exclusively made for this article. Made after the article was written. 
 

Article written by: Sonny Mikszath

Movie: Phantasmagoria (2014)

Premiere: 
May 20, 2014 (Cannes Film Festival)

Country of origin: Italy / France

Directed by:
Mickael Abbate, Domiziano Cristopharo, Tiziano Martella

Written by: 
Mickael Abbate, Domiziano Cristopharo, Tiziano Martella

Distributed by: EuroObscura
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 1h15min
Starring: Venantino Venantini, Maya Dolan, Sophie Pâris

The reason this caught my attention is because of the Italian actor Venantino Venantini, known to me from Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1980) (City of the Living Dead). In that film, he plays a very brutal father, not a huge role, but very, very memorable. 

(Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1980)

I was curious to see what more he had done and found out about this movie, wonder if I’ll even recognize him. 

This film Phantasmagoria was provided to me for this review by EuroObscura.

Jumping into this anthology movie, we start with a solid, long, old-school intro credit, then we are taken right into a Tales from the Crypt-style segment. A carnival-like, fortune teller skeleton is our host and presents the first story. I love this setup, Tales from the Crypt is one of my favorite shows. 

 

Diabolique – Director: Mickael Abbate – 15 min
The story follows an Italian film team in the south of France: three women and one man, seemingly set to record a sci-fi movie. A fun little touch, they start humming the X-Files intro, which I absolutely loved. But almost immediately, you notice something isn’t right.
 

It reminded me a lot of Blink Twice (2023). The setting adds to the unease: an abandoned mansion called La Diabolique where the townspeople acting strangely, that gave off a faint Twin Peaks vibe. The short starts strong, but unfortunately, it loses momentum toward the end, wrapping up too quickly. I kind of lost track of what was really happening before it concluded. The only super sad part was that the film crew in the short never really got to shoot anything for their sci-fi movie, they just talked about it a bit and then relaxed and all the strange story happens around them. 

WAKE UP!

I give this 4/10 – Because good effort, but it’s too personal for others to really grasp fully.

 

Our skeleton host guides us into the next story.

 

 

My Gift to You – Director: Tiziano Martella – 20 min
In this segment, I knew we would see Venantino Venantini, listed on IMDb as playing the grandpa, so let’s see if we find him.

The story starts on October 31, 1993—Halloween.
What a brutal start. A very memorable scene. A young girl, Sarah, walks in on her loving grandfather, well played by Venantini, as he shoots himself. Before doing it, he says, “this is my gift to you.”
That’s an incredibly heavy moment. For a child to witness that and then to frame it as a “gift”… it immediately sets a deep psychological weight. It’s not just shocking, it lingers.

Nineteen years later, in 2012, Sarah is still trying to understand why he did it. What she finds doesn’t come as a clear answer at first. It feels more like a dark psychological dream than an explanation. But eventually, something does emerge, just not something she was ready for.

The story stays quite open-ended. You understand most of what happened, but the details are left for you to piece together. It leans heavily into dreamlike and symbolic visuals, which fits the very, very dark themes it explores.
I’d give it a 5/10. The psychological terror comes through well, especially because of what Sarah experienced.

 

 

After another short visit from our skeleton host, we move into the third and final short.

 

A Snake with a Steel Tongue – Director: Domiziano Cristopharo – 30 min
This one starts off very bloody, with what appears to be a prostitute killing her client. It sets up a mystery right away. Who is the killer and why? The face is hidden, possibly behind a mask and it’s not even clear if it’s a woman or a man. That gave me strong giallo vibes, I was hoping it would turn into more of a detective-style story.
We follow a man who checks into a sketchy motel. It seems like the place has been closed for some time, but he’s allowed to stay there for just one night. The place and its innkeeper gives it an uneasy feeling. As things progress, the motel clearly isn’t what it seems and the connection to the opening murder becomes more and more intriguing. The innkeeper repeatedly insisting that vodka is the best choice right now adds to the strange atmosphere.

By the end, the story shifts and becomes a bit confusing, though that seems intentional. It leans into a slow, looming thriller style where you’re constantly wondering what will happen next. The end was interesting, even if the path there feels a bit uneven. Unfortunately, the audio mix was also somewhat inconsistent, which took me out of it at times.
I’d give it a 4/10. It has a nice and interesting twist, but overall it didn’t fully land for me.

After a short wrap-up by our skeleton host, the movie ends with the credits and its great 80s vibe soundtrack!

 

So overall I say it was not a bad watch, not at all. It is always interesting to see how these anthology works, what is special most of the time is how one tries to fit a short story that is intriguing to watch and how complex one can make it.
I give this full movie 7/10 – Charming skeleton host and one did feel transformed into the worlds of these stories. It was nice to see the part Venantino Venantini was playing also. 

Links:
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3026102/
Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/Phantasmagoria.the.movie

http://www.euroobscura.com/

Article written by: Sonny Mikszath