Prisoner in an old house in the company of two women with opposite characters, a woman is desperately looking for her husband.
With his fifth feature film, and first feature film in English, Quebec filmmaker of Turkish origin Onur Karaman (Where Attila passes…, Breathe) offers what he calls “visual poetry”. Certainly, the black and white images, punctuated by shots invaded by red, that the director of photography Tom McNamara created have a captivating gothic charm and the alternately anxiety-provoking and melancholy atmosphere that the director creates can at certain moments evoke the poetry of ‘Edgar Allan Poe. Alas, despite undeniable visual qualities, Emptiness hardly convinces.
Set in an old country house in an indefinite time, this horror drama features three women whose connections and reasons that unite them will remain a mystery – despite a few telegraphed elements. Plagued by disturbing, if not horrific, visions, Suzanne (Stéphanie Breton) constantly asks for her husband. Exasperated to hear this, Nicole (Anana Rydvald) continues to rebuke her and forbids her from going out and, above all, from going to the barn. For her part, the discreet and caring Linda (Julie Trépanier) shows empathy towards Suzanne. What follows are boring dialogues which ring hollow and which reveal so little about the characters and the dramatic issues that we hardly care to know what fate has in store for them. Onur Karaman, also screenwriter, editor and co-producer of the film.
If Michael Binette’s sound design and Simon Harrison’s special effects prove effective, we must admit thatEmptiness soon distills boredom. The progression of the story is so laborious, the scenes being flatly and unnecessarily repetitive, that the scenario would have benefited from being condensed into a short film to be truly gripping and worthy of interest.
Gifted for social drama and paintings of manners, where he is interested in young people left behind and the difficulties of migrants, Onur Karaman fails to sketch a credible portrait of a woman. While this dive into the female psyche, coupled with a reflection on lack and loss, ends abruptly, the plot deficiencies become even more glaring. Lost in this universe with vague contours, the three actresses manage to do well despite a score lacking flesh and soul.
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horror drama
Emptiness (V.O. of The void)
Onur Karaman
Stéphanie Breton, Anana Rydvald, Julie Trépanier
1:16 a.m.