Review: "Spiral"
Amber Tamblyn is trying to break your heart.
In "Spiral", she turns in an amazing performance as a completely adorable and strangely vulnerable young woman who makes the curious choice of striking up an office friendship with an oddball loner. I haven't seen such irresistible quirky charm since Sandra Bullock in "While You Were Sleeping". Major credit goes to the script and the effortlessly skewed observations and quips it gives her, but Ms. Tamblyn also deserves accolades for the massive doses of charisma she brings to the role.
However...obviously, this is NOT a romantic comedy, and we know from the very beginning that Something Bad is going to happen. We're left guessing up until the very end about what that might be, and who will be doing it to whom. Clearly, the oddball, a psychologically damaged jazz aficionado and artist, is haunted by a traumatic past and is more than a little unhinged. But his only friend, his callously womanizing boss who has known him since high school, also comes across as a bit ominous. And there's always the chance that Ms. Tamblyn's character is playing them all.
The excellent script is by Jeremy Danial Boreing and Joel Moore, the latter of whom wears many hats in this film, co-directing, producing, and also starring as the troubled outsider. The other director is Adam Green, who previously helmed "Hatchet", which won great acclaim at last year's fest. I didn't see that, but I've heard about it, and "Spiral" is very much different from his previous work. Zachary Levi (now appearing in the lead role in TV's "Chuck") is effective as the boss and confidante, and he also was one of the producers. Tricia Helfer from "Battlestar Galactica" appears briefly.
This has been one of the highlights of the festival so far for me. The very strong script unfolds itself slowly, gradually giving us insights into Moore's character. The direction is solid. Gore is absent--this is purely a psychological thriller. Mainly, though, it comes down to a hugely stellar performance on the part of Amber Tamblyn. I'll have to keep an eye out for her, and for future work by Moore and Green.
In "Spiral", she turns in an amazing performance as a completely adorable and strangely vulnerable young woman who makes the curious choice of striking up an office friendship with an oddball loner. I haven't seen such irresistible quirky charm since Sandra Bullock in "While You Were Sleeping". Major credit goes to the script and the effortlessly skewed observations and quips it gives her, but Ms. Tamblyn also deserves accolades for the massive doses of charisma she brings to the role.
However...obviously, this is NOT a romantic comedy, and we know from the very beginning that Something Bad is going to happen. We're left guessing up until the very end about what that might be, and who will be doing it to whom. Clearly, the oddball, a psychologically damaged jazz aficionado and artist, is haunted by a traumatic past and is more than a little unhinged. But his only friend, his callously womanizing boss who has known him since high school, also comes across as a bit ominous. And there's always the chance that Ms. Tamblyn's character is playing them all.
The excellent script is by Jeremy Danial Boreing and Joel Moore, the latter of whom wears many hats in this film, co-directing, producing, and also starring as the troubled outsider. The other director is Adam Green, who previously helmed "Hatchet", which won great acclaim at last year's fest. I didn't see that, but I've heard about it, and "Spiral" is very much different from his previous work. Zachary Levi (now appearing in the lead role in TV's "Chuck") is effective as the boss and confidante, and he also was one of the producers. Tricia Helfer from "Battlestar Galactica" appears briefly.
This has been one of the highlights of the festival so far for me. The very strong script unfolds itself slowly, gradually giving us insights into Moore's character. The direction is solid. Gore is absent--this is purely a psychological thriller. Mainly, though, it comes down to a hugely stellar performance on the part of Amber Tamblyn. I'll have to keep an eye out for her, and for future work by Moore and Green.
posted by Purukivel at 9:48 AM
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