A
family becomes fractured when the wife and mother gets killed in
an accident. The problems are compounded when the youngest
daughter thinks she sees someone lurking inside the house...and
the son begins to have murderous visions. The myriad threads
of this drama come to a violent head in Michael P. Noens’
genre-twisting feature Uninvited.
Noens’
production values have a glossy sheen, and in the early goings the
feature would invite comparison to a “movie of the week” in
both content and style; in a good way, with professional-grade
technical quality, and in a less favorable way, with some fairly
standard plotting and pacing. But the story takes a couple
of unusual turns that borrows pieces and parts from both the
supernatural and thriller genres to make an interesting whole.
Noens
is a polished shooter and editor, and Uninvited sports
a sophisticated score. The overall look of the feature is on
the top floor of microcinema efforts. And at the core of the
acting ensemble is a strong performance by Mark Iverson as the
troubled son. I have seen Iverson in a handful of
microcinema projects now and admire his naturalistic style, always
appearing a bit offhand while still holding onto a compelling
screen presence. I think Iverson’s body of work shows that
he is an emerging young talent on screen.
Unfortunately
I don’t think some of the supporting performances rang as true,
and John Anthony as the father seemed to skew a bit young for his
part. A suprisingly downbeat ending salvages a few pat plot
devices at the wrap-up.
But
I enjoy Noens’ work, as he strives to produce entertainment at a
higher standard of both content and technical quality than is
often presented by the backyard auteurs who flood this
reviewer’s mailbox with screeners. Noens wrestles with
mature themes, and does not compromise his vision because of
budgetary restraints. Noens aims high with Uninvited,
and generally hits his mark.
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