I tend to be one of those people who
ignore straight-to-DVD (or back in day when I was growing up,
straight-to-video) films, but once in a blue moon, I've found a
diamond in the rough.
I'm not quite sure if that applies in
this case, but let's just get into it.
Lee Demarbre's Summer's Moon (2009).
Oh,
where do I start? This film, also known as Summer's Blood
or simply Summer,
definitely falls into the category of “guilty pleasure films” for
me. These are films that have or imply something that I overall am
against, and yet I can't help but love the film(s) themselves.
 |
| Photo credit: lsquaredforever |
However, Summer's Moon is a bit
more difficult because as hard as I might, I can't really find any
solid argument to defend why I enjoy this film. It
has everything generally considered not just taboo, but contemptible.
Unintentional and intentional incest, murder, torture, one could
argue sexism...it goes on and on. And this doesn't even count the
sub-par acting by several of the actors.
And
yet...there's just something....
I
honestly think it has to do with the whole idea of “minor villain”
and “major villain.”
Technically,
Hannibal Lecter, at least when the audience is first introduced to
him in the film versions of Thomas Harris' novels, is supposed to be
a villain. He's supposed to be a “bad guy.”
Yet,
when the character of, for example, Buffalo Bill in The
Silence of the Lambs,
comes into the picture, suddenly Dr. Lecter doesn't look so bad. In
fact, many audience members, myself included, tend to side with
Hannibal for the rest of the series.
The
same goes for Summer's Moon.
I
have to give the screenwriter credit. For nearly the entire film,
the audience is led to believe that the “villain” is Tom Hoxey
(played by Peter Mooney, who I believe to be the film's true “star”).
 |
| Photo credit: myau |
Tom is a charming young man who saves the main character, Summer, portrayed by Ashley Greene, from being arrested for shoplifting. After taking her home and engaging in a one-night-stand, Tom takes matters into his own hands when Summer attempts to leave the next morning. She wakes up some time later chained in a flower bed as part of the “garden” Tom keeps in his parents' basement. He keeps women as his “garden angels” because he considers them to be the most beautiful creatures on Earth.
Okay,
dude. Whatever floats your boat.
I
don't want to give away too many spoilers, but after making a
discovery, Tom's demeanor begins to change slightly. He had already
shown some kind of affection towards Summer, but after receiving the
new information, he becomes both protective and somewhat lenient.
This,
along with the brief moments of affection and care from earlier in
the film have led me to secretly like his character. I find myself
rooting for him as I watch.
The
perception of Tom as a villain is, in my eyes, completely shattered
in the film's last half hour or so.
The
true monster, the true villain, the one we can just be completely
against, is not Tom at all, but his father, Gant.
Again,
with this film, I don't want to give away the “surprise,” but I
will say that despite its obvious lacking in certain areas and
its...unique...subject matter, Summer's Moon is
a film that I would suggest you see, just for the value of getting
you to think in a horror movie. Question yourself about varying
degrees of “evil.”
Our
Girl Power series is coming to a close, so I figure, let's go out
with a bang.
Last
in the series, a double-header: Deeply (2000) and Crazy/Beautiful
(2001).
To
return to the beginning of the series, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment