|
|
TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL
Donkey Punch
Directed by Oliver Blackburn. Starring Sian Breckin, Nichola Burley, Jaime Winstone, Robert Boulter, Tom Burke, Julian Morris and Jay Taylor.
By Sarah Gopaul | Posted on October 21, 2008
In the movies, sex and drugs between strangers almost always results in death and violence.
Three girls from Leeds (Sian Breckin, Nichola Burley and Jaime Winstone) are vacationing in Mallorca, Spain in an attempt to cheer up one of their newly single pals. When they receive an invitation from some English sailors (Robert Boulter, Tom Burke, Julian Morris and Jay Taylor) to party on a private yacht, they decide it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up. Before long, the festivities move out to sea and everyone is indulging in an abundance of drink and drugs. Two of the girls and three of the guys take the party below deck to make an impromptu porn video. But it ends prematurely because one of the boys executes the pernicious act of the title and kills his partner. Paranoia quickly spirals out of control and everyone’s priority becomes self-preservation, leading them to kill each other in some grisly ways.
A donkey punch occurs in the doggy style position when a man punches a woman in the back of the neck just before launch, increasing his pleasure by causing her muscles to involuntarily contract. It’s apparently an urban legend since it results in a broken neck.
The acting is solid. The guys portray a combination of cocksureness, fear and uncertainty at various moments of the narrative. Unfortunately, Burke’s dialogue is not always decipherable due to his heavy accent and use of British slang. All the girls are sexy and confident. The two that survive the sexcapade also display extreme levels of anxiety and rage. However, the characters themselves are somewhat indistinct and undeveloped.
The second act sees a dip in the pace while everyone ponders the moral and legal ramifications of their actions and solutions. But the need to act shifts the story into the third act and causes the body count to increase rapidly. One of the best kills involves lighting someone up like a jack-o-lantern. But after the fourth person is murdered, the remaining minutes and deaths seem anti-climactic.
Donkey Punch appeals to the slasher fan but will not satisfy all their needs.
Filed Under Film, Reviews, Toronto After Dark Film Festival Tags: After Dark, Donkey Punch, Jaime Winstone, Jay Taylor, Julian Morris, Nichola Burley, Olly Blackburn, Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke
|
|
Films are getting sicker and sicker, just like the reality. Society does not influence films, it is films that influence people.