My first weekend of a more structured work output for my blog has gone very well. At the time of writing it is Sunday evening and I have just watched the W.M Weikart directed and co-written fantastical horror Soul to Squeeze, which is his feature length directorial debut. One of the more surreal films I have watched this year, this may have been frequently bizarre and odd to watch, but also had variety in spades as well as a core heartfelt message about the importance of loving yourself.
Jacob (Michael Thomas Santos in his feature length film debut) is a troubled young man who has decided to take part in an experimental psychological experiment that sees him confined to a small house. While in this house, for some unspecified reason his conscious body and subconscious mind have become connected. Basically, his innermost thoughts and feelings are able to become physical projections, and through these projections it is hoped Jacob will be able to confront his innermost demons and heal from what he discovers.
You know those one off TV episodes that take the form of a dream or nightmare sequence? It happens in plenty of shows, from House to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This film is basically that, Jacob, through mysterious means has arrived at a strange house, and by signing a waiver (which details possible alarming outcomes should he participate in the experiment, including disfigurement and death!) the experiment begins. Over the course of the eighty five minute runtime he experiences both dreams and nightmares, all seeming to take place within the small brightly decorated, yet also pretty filthy bungalow. There are horror elements to this, with plenty of extremely creepy side characters who appear for brief scenes before leaving and never coming back again. It is often difficult to work out what is real and what is from Jacob's mind, but it is easier just to see everything that happens as reflections from his thoughts.
The general pace of the story is shown to be about a girl he once knew, with it suggested by trippy flashback sequences that he somehow was responsible for a terrible thing that happened to her. Due to his guilt, Jacob has became an angry young man, and is shown to dislike himself, with many of the projections of his thoughts belittling him and threatening him. One such example being a large face playing across three TV sets.
Soul to Squeeze had shades of The Prisoner to it, and almost felt like what an episode of Black Mirror would have been like if it had been created in the 1960's. Of course, the obligatory reference to feeling a bit like an LSD trip also has to be mentioned. There are lots and lots of surreal, mystifying, and occasionally unsettling moments, even some trippy sequences when Jacob lays on the floor staring at the eyeball like ceiling light above him. Eyes play a key part in the movie, the film opens on old black and white footage with a posh voice explaining about the eye and how it functions, and this stark footage is revisited time and time again.
Lots happens throughout the movie, one early highlight being when Jacob takes a bath and is startled to see the bathtub rapidly begin to fill up with hair. Jumping out the bath to escape this, he looks in the mirror and is horrified to see he is now covered completely in hair, save for the top of his head. Quite surreal! The film is split into distinct acts, each seem to be triggered by Jacob putting on a differently coloured set of pyjamas. I especially liked the early phone call Jacob has with assumedly the man in charge of the experiment, and how this feeds into a memorable later scene.
The horror here was never the core desire to be experienced by the viewer. Rather than things getting worse and worse, it instead tells a heart-warming story, an acceptance of who you are as a person creating a feel of inner peace. Must also mention that the film begins with a 4:3 aspect ratio and slowly expands throughout the runtime, eventually getting to a full 2:35:1. The trivia section for this on IDMB alleges that this is the first film to ever do that, but who knows really. Still, its a cool part of the filmmaking, and is appropriate for the narrow minded and sullen Jacob discovering himself.
I didn't read the synopsis before watching Soul to Squeeze, and had expected more of a horror, but enjoyed this regardless. There are certainly some strong moments here, but it is more surreal and unsettling than scary. This also was thematically relevant to my personal life as after one more week of work (at the time of typing) I am going to exile myself from the world for ten days in self imposed confinement (editing this at the start of my exile). Hopefully my time being in my house on my own will be more restful and chill than what happens with Jacob here! Soul to Squeeze came to Amazon Prime on 10th July via BlueBeard Productions.
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