What's the best movie of 2009? I'll tell you what it's not: Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Precious, Up in the Air, Moon? Nope. The best film of the last year, and one of the best I've ever seen, is this little gem of an independent film: Ink.
Movie Review: Ink (2009)
The narrative is great. It's fairly hard to explain the plot and really do it justice, so it's best, probably, to just put it in Winan's own words: "An 8-year-old becomes a pawn in a metaphysical war being fought between the forces of light and darkness.... while those who love her fight to bring her back into the real world and bring salvation to her desperate father" (www.jaminwinans.com). The film is slow paced, deliberate, and non-linear but never causes the viewer to lose interest for even a second. It's a modern day fairy tale with plenty of action and emotional depth. Never have a seen such a complete package in a movie.
Winans doesn't deserve all the credit for this film though. The acting was phenomenal. Jessica Duffy plays a storyteller (A type of angel who guards our souls while we sleep and give us good dreams) who accompanies the little girl, Emma, (Quinn Hunchar) through the metaphysical dream world. Quinn Hunchar's performance was great; can anyone say "the next Dakota Fanning?" But the actor who really shines is Chris Kelly. From the first scene of the movie with Kelly and Hunchar, there's a quick emotional punch. Kelly's performance as a desperate man consumed by greed and anger was spectacular. The few scenes with him and his daughter are, for lack of a better word, quite touching. But it's his transition from Average Joe underling to ruthless company head that makes his performance so special.
The editing and do-it-yourself special effects are what make this film so visually impressive. From the impressive fight scenes and to the clever use of slow motion to the fast paced jump cutting of John's morning routine, everything is done with style. The art design also adds to the visual appeal. There's an eerie sci-fi fantasy feel to the movie and the designs for the incubus are just flat out awesome! The soundtrack, like the editing, is also done by Winans and done well. It's very rare that the soundtrack just "feels" so right with the rest of the movie, maybe because it was composed by the director himself.
The only drawbacks to this film have to be the characters attempting to be funny and quirky. Jacob, the Pathfinder character, played by Jeremy Make is a little annoying but bearable. He does have a few scenes and pieces of dialog that add to the film, but for the most part he seems to detract from the whole experience. The intolerable characters are the drifters (people who have not chosen light or darkness after death, those who are stuck in purgatory). The two scenes where Ink meets the drifters do not seem to fit with the rest of the movie.
Overall, this is a fresh and innovative new indie film. It's got a big underground following, especially in the torrent community, and is definitely one not to be missed. I would give this film a 10/10 if not for the two quirky drifter scenes and somewhat annoying character Jacob. Because of this, I give the film a 9.5/10.
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