Directed by:
Bradley LiewCinematography:
Larry MandaComposer:
Chris LetcherCast:
JC Santos, Jan Bijvoet, Nicholas Saputra, Vithaya Pansringarm, Bront Palarae, Talia Zucker, Perry Dizon, Will Jaymes HowarthVOD (1)
Plots(1)
A snowed-in country road, not far from the Canadian border. A billboard alongside the road reads: “Make our country great again!”. JC, a young Filipino, takes in the landscape, while his European father drives him to the family motel. The building is as charming as a Nazi bunker and clients are rare. However, the business thrives thanks to subsidies from the city in exchange for getting rid of a certain undesirable ethnic group… In a political context in which migrants are considered not only as second-rate civilians but as a social disease, the logical conclusion of this ideology is an Endlösing: first quarantine, then total extermination. As if Norman Bates suddenly got government funds to open up his motel exclusively to illegal aliens with a clear objective: never let them leave the shower again… A hard-hitting political allegory aimed at Trump, Bolsonaro and similar hate-mongers, but things aren’t as straight-forward as they seem. Director Bradley Liew never loses sight of the foundations of the horror film and serves his stew with a vicious aftertaste. You should know that Alien and The Thing were major influences during filming. Just sayin’. (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival)
(more)Cast
JC Santos
Philippines
Jan Bijvoet
Belgium
Best movies:
Embrace of the Serpent (2015)
Dirty Mind (2008)
The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)
Nicholas Saputra
Indonesia
Best movies:
Vithaya Pansringarm
Thailand
Best movies:
Thirteen Lives (2022)
Deliver Us from Evil (2020)
The White Storm (2013)
Bront Palarae
Best movies:
Headshot (2016)
Satan's Slaves (2017)
Satan's Slaves 2: Communion (2022)
Talia Zucker
Best movies:
Ned Kelly (2003)
Lake Mungo (2008)
Perry Dizon
Best movies:
From What Is Before (2014)
Norte, the End of History (2013)
Melancholia (2008)