JUNE *** USA 2015 Dir: L Gustavo Cooper. 84 mins
A curious, well made homage to 70’s occult American horror and early Stephen King, this opens with a Satanic ritual gone awry and, as a result, a baby becomes the vessel for an evil spirit. Years later, at the age of nine, the June of the title (Kennedy Brice) displays telekinetic powers and growing strength when mistreated in a stereotypical trailer park community by her slobbish foster dad and hooker foster mom.
Kind new parents Casper Van Dien and Victoria Pratt learn of her origins and abilities. This Louisiana-shot picture boasts artfully composed widescreen cinematography, good performances (Brice is very good in the title role) and scenes of genuine alarm (notably a moment of classroom panic). It’s a shame that its overwrought tendencies and sillier narrative elements tend to defuse its potential. Among the qualities are an evocative score with a particularly strong, insistent electronic theme that is also in the tradition of the retro U.S. genre cinema it clearly apes.
Review by Steven West
Kind new parents Casper Van Dien and Victoria Pratt learn of her origins and abilities. This Louisiana-shot picture boasts artfully composed widescreen cinematography, good performances (Brice is very good in the title role) and scenes of genuine alarm (notably a moment of classroom panic). It’s a shame that its overwrought tendencies and sillier narrative elements tend to defuse its potential. Among the qualities are an evocative score with a particularly strong, insistent electronic theme that is also in the tradition of the retro U.S. genre cinema it clearly apes.
Review by Steven West
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