My grandmother died when I was ten years old. I was incredibly close to my grandmother. I have multiple tattoos in remembrance of her. Her death ushered in my first true understanding of what depression felt like. Although sometimes when we face depression, it blesses us with parts of ourselves that define who we are. For me, some of that definition is my love of movies. No one in my family is really obsessed with the medium of film quite like me. I found solace in these stories during the last few years I got with her.
Out of that fascination with the medium came my love of practical effects. In the landscape of digital effects and artificial intelligence - practical effects can sometimes feel like a lost art. Why pay multiple people to do something that you can just prompt a machine to do? That’s the unfortunate nature of the modern age of film and storytelling. That’s why seeing films like Obsession and Backrooms master these underdog stories is incredibly important to keeping this artform alive.
Alive is how it should be. It’s a kind of shame that we don’t see films celebrating this art form more than we do. Which brings me to the independent film, Wounds. Wounds tells the story of Caleb (Jack Kilmer), a struggling practical effects artist, who turns to some unconventional methods for motivation on his latest project. This movie is a strong reminder why practical effects are important to film and I love every minute of that. The love letter effect aside; this movie is just a damn good film.
The performance from Kilmer is riveting to say the least. This movie as a whole kind of reminds me of Fade to Black, an indie darling from the early 80s, but Kilmer, in particular, reminds me of Dennis Christopher’s performance in that film. Kilmer is excellent here. He brilliantly balances the complexity of a character like Caleb and in doing so, he manages to showcase his range as an actor. Eric Roberts, a legendary character actor in his own right, also has an equally electric performance here as Caleb’s uncle and studio head. The two have dynamic chemistry. Roberts also brilliantly walks the line between caregiver and big bad boss for Caleb.
I love that this film operates like a character study. A film like Wounds would fall apart without the incredible performance of Kilmer as its centerpiece. Make no mistake, this film does have a plethora of outstanding practical effects woven throughout. The in-universe movie being a vampire movie also plays into the overarching narrative incredibly well. I love that this is a character study that just feels natural. Nothing about this movie feels rushed or out of step with the tone it establishes to its audience within its opening frames. The pacing, here, is impeccable.
That speaks volumes to the writing crew behind the film of Ron Krauss, also the film’s director, Joshua Courtrade and Ryan Leeder. All three deliver a compelling slasher that is not only a gripping character study and a love letter to the art of practical effects but also this commentary on how violence affects us mentally. It could even be argued that this is a commentary on the justice system as well. Either way you slice it, the trio deliver a worthwhile film with rich characters and expert pacing.
While there is a lot to love about this film - I do have one single complaint. This is a film that embraces the complexities of independent filmmaking in all of its glory. However, there are a few shots throughout this film that do look cheap and digital. You’re probably wondering, why is this even a complaint worth bringing up? For a film, like Wounds, that bases its entire narrative around a practical effects artist trying to improve this craft it does seem like a bit of a cop out to turn to digital effects. The shots are certainly limited in their capacity but they are visually obvious. Which is a shame. Maybe it’s an odd complaint to have but I just feel a film like this should remain 100% true to the practical effects artform.
Overall, Wounds is a splendid love letter to the art form of practical effects. It thrives on the powerfully transformative performance from Jack Kilmer. Kilmer expertly walks this line between charming and dangerous in a refreshing way. There are certainly elements of the film that feel reminiscent of 1980’s Fade to Black - Ron Krauss and company give us a slasher that feels refreshing. It’s smart, funny and littered with some stunning gags. Wounds is a movie made for cinephiles and nerds, like myself, but also manages to be a gripping character study.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. We do not own nor claim any rights. Wounds is property of Day 28 Films. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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