Review: In A Violent Nature

Image courtesy of IFC Films.

Director Chris Nash gets points for uniqueness of tone and presentation - and a few jaw-dropping dispatchings of its victims - with "In a Violent Nature," which some are describing as what it might look like if Terrence Malick directed a gory slasher film. 

Although some Malickian tendencies are recognizable here - the leisurely pace, an obsession with nature, and tracking shots that follow characters (or, in this case, one particular character) through it - the film could better be described as so-called slow cinema's first slasher picture.

The setup is overly familiar and the characters are paper thin, albeit by design. A group of young people whom we first overhear offscreen are talking about the weekend they are planning to have as we focus on a locket dangling under a fire tower deep in the woods. One of the group takes the locket and they split.

Moments later, a figure arises from the earth. This is Johnny, we later learn, who died tragically as a boy when a group of loggers played a trick on him. His vengeful spirit occasionally rises from the grave and wreaks bloody havoc whenever someone removes the locket from his mother, which is apparently the only thing that keeps him at peace.

Much of the film tracks Johnny from behind as he lumbers silently through the beautiful and serene wooded areas of Ontario, where this picture was shot. He stalks the group of youths, whom we meet at a campfire as they discuss the legend of Johnny. There's no use mentioning who they are, other than final girl Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), who is there with her boyfriend, a troubled friend (who tells the story), a yoga girl, a couple of guys who make consistent cracks about their genitalia, and another girl.

The characters are intentionally thin because, as I've mentioned, much of the film is from Johnny's perspective as he ambles through the woods, searching for his locket and dispatching everyone who gets in his way - this includes a cantankerous old man who lives alone near the woods, a ranger who has come into contact with Johnny before, and the youths.

Much of the film's dialogue comes off as slightly amateurish, somewhat to the film's detriment. There's a scene around the fire in which the characters crack dick jokes in a manner that might denote high school behavior, although these people seem to be older. A scene in which the ranger confronts the cantankerous old man includes dialogue that rings a bit melodramatic and later scenes of flirtation (between two of the young women) and ribbing (two characters tease another about going to meet some girls at a gas station) aren't very well scripted.

But that's no matter. This film is about two things - the strangely serene vibe created by the languorous tracking shots through the woods and the grotesque kills that occasionally break the trance. A wood cutter is put to grim use on one character, while axes and machetes crack open skulls or split heads in half. The most outrageous sequence involves a yoga practitioner who gets twisted into a pose you're not likely to forget.

But as outrageous as these sequences might be - and as unique the film's overall vibe in this genre might seem - "In a Violent Nature" is, ultimately, a one-trick pony. I admire Nash's ability to try something new in this genre and the insane lengths to which he'll test his audience's gag reflex. But I can't say that this film stuck with me much outside of appreciation for its attempt to do something different. 

The finale involves a bit of sustained tension that reminded me slightly of the end of Tobe Hooper's classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." It involves a rescue, of sorts, but also a lengthy conversation in which one waits for something horrible to happen. The tension almost becomes unbearable, and I thought to myself that had the entire film had this vibe, it might have left more of an impression. As such, "In a Violent Nature" wins points for originality but is more of an interesting experiment than a memorable movie.