Her investigation takes a terrifying turn as Samhain, the Festival of the Dead, approaches.
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As Marie, Kuppens is an incredibly likeable lead.
Shes not your typical scream queen.
Shes a fully rounded, three-dimensional character.
Refreshingly, the supporting cast is very good too.
Theres nary a cleft pallet or misshapen head to be seen.
For the most part, director Pieter Van Hees successfully avoids such horror movie cliches.
Its remarkable thatLeft Bankis his directorial debut.
It could easily be the work of someone much more accomplished.
To say its like Lars von TriersAntichristwould be to do it a huge disservice.
Its no way near as visceral, for one thing, but there are similarities in cinematography and symbolism.
There are also hints of early David Cronenberg, with elements of body horror.
Polanski, though, is the most obvious comparison.
Like Polanski, Van Hees direction is precise and unhurried.
After a brief, intriguing opening, its all about characterisation and a slow, practically glacial, build-up.
The ending, too, while excellent, leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
Pacing issues aside,Left Bankmarks Van Hees as a major talent to watch for in the future.
If you cant, or you dont have the patience, you neednt bother.
Left Bankis out now andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
4 out of 5
