Success is often acquired with much difficulty. Dante Tomaselli knows this and uses elements which seem taken from personal experience: nuns, clowns, living plans, childish environment, death of a parent, family love. This film isn’t comprehensible in its entirety but we can extract our own conclusions. This has often been seen before and each time the spectator’s verdict is categorical: you either like it or you hate it. Personally, I’m not very fond of this formula and wouldn't adventure in listening it multiple times unless I could find hidden elements. My feelings are pretty much the same for films with unexplained (or simply illogical) endings.
What we need to keep in mind, however, is that Desecration plays with occult theories similar to those found in books. The astral plan would be a location or a sixth sense, indescribable to those who have never experienced it, would be present and where the mathematics of time, distances and appearance would obey to different rules. It is the best way to interpret the film without falling into the depths of confusion, only if, of course, we don’t like the style.
It is a movie that has a lot going for it. The special effects are interesting but often cut because of a lack of budget and we can't really distinguish what really happens during the murder scenes. The murders themselves, in the manner they are filmed and organized, are more or less coherent with the serious atmosphere that is generally present. They recall the excessive, yet creative, violence of amateur films: it is inappropriate.
Considering the lack of budget and experience of the crew, this film is still enjoyable. A few actors have remarkable credibility. The grandmother really seems sick and we can’t help sympathizing with her. On the other hand, Bobby’s friends represent the worst acting in the movie. The nuns, including the one back from the dead, are for the most part well acted. The suspense is well installed. I believe that Dante has researched on common phobias. Sadly, the ending could have been better. I will not reveal the finale but lets just say it is the kind of ending that my seventh grade teacher had formally forbidden when writing stories.
Briefly, Desecration is a movie where we are brought back to the eighties with its slow and meticulous development, where violence does not reign, where we focus on intra-familial relationships, feelings, the unknown, religion and subtlety. It is a cold shower for the maniacs of rationality but is a pearl for the marginal. Although I do not personally enjoy the style, my attraction for the occult and nightmares was fulfilled.
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