I will recommend a science fiction thriller whose story I liked. I will not say any important details of the plot. It is a cinematic opinion without spoilers.
What is the plot of Freaks?
Chloe is a seven-year-old girl who lives locked up in a deplorable house with her father, who is in charge of keeping her inside the house, for her own safety. That's what her father says. There are bad people outside who want to hurt them. But like every child, she wants to go out, go to the park, eat ice cream, etc. When an ice cream cart is installed in front of her house, attended to by a mysterious Mr. Snowcone, Chloe will discover the truth about her life, her family, and the world.
The story immerses us in a world with characters who have special abilities. We have seen other similar stories, but Freaks is well told and worth seeing, I was happy with the final result, I found it very entertaining.
During the first part of the film, we feel confused, there are scenes that seem to have no logical explanation. They show us clues, so that little by little we understand what it's all about. Who is the father hiding from? Why does the neighbor act this way when she sees the girl? How come Chloe has been locked up for so long? What do news reports about the drone attacks have to do with it? We don't have to worry, the answers come at the right time and it will all make sense within the universe of history.
My recommendation is that you don't watch the trailer so that it doesn't expose what's important in the film. I made my synopsis of the plot carefully so that, if you decide to watch the movie, you can enjoy it as I do, knowing almost nothing. You'll thank me for it.
I won't tell you anything important about the story either, it's very annoying when I read movie reviews that gut the whole plot. I want you to be able to appreciate this science fiction film.
Freaks is a Canadian production, like others I have recently recommended in my blog, made with a low budget, but which reaffirms that it is not necessary to have millions of dollars to make science fiction.
The filmmakers have had the creativity to recreate a story, with elements of fantasy, despite not having a super production budget. Of course we realize that in some effects, which would have been more spectacular, but the way in which they have managed to show us the fantastic elements, has worked excellently.
The mix of drama and science fiction, in that dark atmosphere, is effective, creating this universe where we are asked some questions, like what would we do if certain people with abilities represent a danger in our society. Attention: other films have also made this approach, but in this film I found it more credible, because we focus the stories on a family nucleus. What would you do to protect the people you care about?
Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein co-wrote and directed the film, it is their product, their cinematic child. The love for their son is evident. They have done a good job in creating an exciting story, with few actors and almost only one set. Lipovski has previously directed a horror film, with bad reviews on the Internet. But the two filmmakers have worked together for the last few years, writing and directing television productions, with fantastic and science fiction stories.
There are two well-known actors in the cast. Emile Hirsch plays Chloe's father, a man who seems to be crazy, keeping his daughter locked up, seems paranoid, afraid that someone will discover them. We saw the actor last year in Tarantino's latest movie. Hirsch began his career in the nineties and for a while he appeared in excellent productions that gave him prestige, but lately his name doesn't appear much anymore. The great actor Bruce Dern, who was also in Tarantio's last movie, plays Mr. Snowcone and ends up having family ties with Chloe. It is a privilege to have this film legend.
Eleven-year-old actress Lexy Kolker plays the lead in the film, Chloe. The girl who lives on the premises, but wants to get out, have a family, be normal. Despite her young age, the girl has appeared in several television series, such as The Shooter and the series S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. In some sequences, she reminded me of Drew Barrymore in the 1984 film Firestarter. She is the lead actress and the whole story revolves around her, being convincing in both emotional and hardcore violence scenes.
Grace Park also participates in the film, playing a government agent who tries to keep Chloe. She has a background in science fiction and was part of the cast of the best science fiction series, the Battlestar Galactica remake. Others know her from another television series that was on screen for a few years, the Hawaii 5.0 remake. In Freaks her participation is short, but it was nice to see the Cylon infiltrating Battlestar again.
The best thing is the intrigue, the strange behavior of the father. At first we don't know the path of the story, we don't know who is the good one, who is the bad one. After we discover what's really going on, the pace is maintained, and the tone of the film darkens, as the action becomes more present. The main trio works on the screen, we get to have sympathy for the characters. For me it has been very entertaining and fulfills its purpose, especially if you like science fiction.
Look for it in your streaming service catalog to see it next weekend.
My Ranking: 3/5
Trailer
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