Film Reviews

Them

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Olivia Bonamy
• Details: France / 77mins (15).

It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it. Bananarama and Fun Boy Three knew this and, after watching Them, I do too. The synopsis didn't lend itself to anticipation: teacher Clementine (Bonamy) and novelist Lucas (Cohen) live in a semi-refurbished house on the forested outskirts of Bucharest. Their secluded life is shattered one night when a strange voice is heard on their phone, followed by muted music coming from outside a short time later. When their car is stolen, the power in the house shuts down and figures are barely glimpsed hiding in the shadows, the couple know they're not alone. So with a by-the-numbers set-up and no with gratuitous violence or gore to speak of, what exactly sets Them apart from every other slasher flick out there? In one word: style. Borrowing from almost every tension filled horror movie in cinema, Moreau and Palud squeeze all their influences into their remarkably short film and deliver what could already be the horror of the year. The use of the handheld camera works perfectly. Disorientating the viewer, it gives us the feeling that we're right there in the house and sound and light is employed with skill and precision. Stripped back to its bare essentials, and with the lean running time, Them could kick-start the horror genre's punk movement and is well worth and hour and seventeen minutes of your day.

Review by Gavin Burke