EDEN LAKE
FILM: If his movie outing is anything to go by, James Watkins is on his way to making an indelible impression in the film industry.
Eden Lake opens with Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and her beau Steve (Michael Fassbender) embarking on a romantic weekend away. Unbeknown to Jenny, Steve plans to pop the question at his favourite getaway.
But the idyllic setting is disrupted by a bunch of unruly teenagers. And they don't take too kindly to Steve asking them to turn down the volume on their stereo.
What starts out as a minor tiff snowballs into a violent struggle for survival when the gang captures the couple and starts torturing them.
Watkins is very calculated in setting the tone of the film. At the start, he drops subtle hints of the unrefined culture within the small community who prefer to deal with their troubles in-house. To an extent, it defends the violent behaviour of the kids.
Eden Lake will send chills up one's spine, especially in the scenes where Steve is cruelly tormented by the kids. Although gruesome, the climax is brilliant.
Bottom line - the adroit direction of the actors who do completely justice to the taut script makes for a riveting, albeit uncomfortable, watch.
FEATURES: None. - Debashine Thangevelo