Rafe Oman
Aged, a new thriller from independent filmmaker Anubys Lopez (a nice guy and clearly very passionate about this film – he dropped us a line a couple of days after we agreed to review the film per the PR company) and featuring a commendable cast of equally fresh faces, fixes on a young woman who takes a job as the caretaker for an elderly woman – and, well, you can guess the rest (or can you!?). Shot in Texas Massacre-terrain, it’s Lopez’s follow-up to the more traditional horror movie Those Who Call.
1. The visual eye of director Anubys Lopez
While he showed promise with his breakthrough venture Those Who Call, director Anubys Lopez really unleashes his gift of visual storytelling and in turn, using the most unique of filmmaking techniques, styles, angles, and positions to capitalize on what might otherwise be just another scene. Near every moment in the film is shot with such vibrancy and imagination it’s clear Lopez was sliced from the same block of filmmaking cheddar as Shyamalan.
2. The deliberately paced script
Not for the impatient, the script for Aged starts with a simmer, continues to simmer, simmers some more, and then comes to a boil in it’s last act. You realize after the film that the tortoise-like approach to the material is what makes the film such a good watch – and so unique. Lopez takes his time to study each character, explore the scene, and not give away too much too soon. It’s almost an arthouse approach to a mainstream psychological thriller.
3. Earnt scares
While there’s moments in the film that aren’t as affective as others (he does spoonfeed the audience at times, which seems a bit unnecessary- audiences are cluey, especially well-acquainted horror-thriller fans), the way Lopez messes with us by giving us the impression we’re watching one type of film (a dramatic take on, say, ‘Hush’) and then surprising us with moments that play like freaky cousins of bits from ‘The Shining’ or ‘Flowers in the Attic’ shock and stir because they’re not only earned they’re unexpected. The mix of genres, if you will, combined with the stronger story and flair used by the filmmaker makes it a more successful film than his last.
Those Who Call is on digital platforms today
