Vinyan (2008) Reviews

• A harrowing cinematic journey into the abyss

  Woodyanders2013-02-05

  Determined Jeanne Bellmer (a fine and affecting performance by the ravishing Emmanuelle Beart) and her husband Paul (a sturdy portrayal by Rufus Sewell) encounter a dangerous tribe of feral children after they venture into the Burmese jungle in search of their missing son. Writer/director Fabrice Du Welz relates the intriguing story at a deliberate pace, does a bang-up job of creating and sustaining a powerfully dark, bleak, and hopeless tone that's dripping with dread and despair, offers a vivid evocation of the seamy Thailand locations, firmly grounds the premise in a credibly harsh and sordid reality, and takes the viewer on a gradual descent into hell that becomes more increasingly intense and unsettling as the narrative unfolds towards a devastating downbeat ending. Moreover, this picture acquires extra poignancy and resonance from the potent central theme about the tremendous precarious lengths one is willing to go to in order to be reunited with someone they love. Sewell and especially Beart do sterling work in the lead roles. Julie Dreyfus registers well in her regrettably small part as the spunky and enticing Kim. Petch Osathanugrah likewise impresses as treacherous local guide Thaksin Gao. Benoit Debie's sumptuous widescreen cinematography provides a wealth of stunning visuals. The brooding score by Francois Eudes hits the moody spot. A truly nightmarish movie.

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• A Disturbing Journey to Insanity

  claudio_carvalho2010-10-24

  In Phuket Island, Thailand, the architect Paul Bellmer (Rufus Sewell) and his wife Jeanne (Emmanuelle Béart) lost their son Joshua in a tsunami six months ago. Jeanne is disturbed and has not accepted the loss of her beloved son. While watching some footages from Myanmar (former Burma), Jeanne is convinced that a boy wearing a Manchester United shirt in a poor village is Joshua, and Paul accepts to seek out their son in the sea gypsies camp. They hire the trafficker Thaksin Gao (Petch Osathanugrah) and they travel in the boat of master Sonchai (Amporn Pankratok) to search Joshua. After a series of weird incidents, Sonchai leaves the trio in an abandoned village. They have to walk through the jungle where they face a journey to hell. "Vinyan" is a disturbing journey to insanity visibly inspired in "Apocalypse Now" and with the same style of "Antichrist". The slow paced plot is supported by a good screenplay, stylish cinematography that keeps the environment of a nightmare and another outstanding performance of Emmanuelle Béart. I agree that this type of movie is not for everyone, but those that like original psychological horror stories without gore, explosions and special effects, will certainly enjoy "Vinyan". My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Espíritos Condenados" ("Doomed Spirits")

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• A strange and hypnotic journey

  rolf_denny2010-12-12

  Before watching "Vinyan",I read some comments of IMDb users. Most of all said that the movie is a crap, that nobody should waste one hour and a half of your life watching it. Well, I guess that I saw some other movie. First of all, the comparisons with David Lynch's works are not fair. Vinyan takes a direction that Lynch never got on his works (an original approach to ghost stories). So, don't believe if you read that this movie is a bad copy of Lynch's works. Fabrice du Welz shows again why he's a great director,a truly great horror director (how can some critics call Darren Lynn Bousman, Eli Roth an Rob Zombie the "horror directors of the new generation"?). The atmosphere of his craft is fabulous, he manages to make the tension and insanity grow slowly and steadily. Another great achievement of Welz is documentary feel that he impressed with his direction. The locations of the movies are also great, big and mysterious jungles, like if they were abyss that you just enter, but never leaves them. Emanuelle Béart,with his explosive beauty, and Rufus Sewell give great performances. The process of disintegration of their marriage showed by them as they delve into the jungle is awesome. Finally, this is the kind of movie that, before you try to comprehend it, you must feel it. If you like it, watch "Calvaire", Welz's previous work, a real horror gem.

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• Vinyan : a different ghost movie

  acromegalix2009-04-11

  The great mistake in Vinyan is to have tried to sell it as a classical horror movie from Hollywood, like The Ruines or The Grudge. Don't expect any cheap thrills or funny Fx, it's a deep drama about an occidental woman in Asia, falling into madness after the loss of her child, with a post-tsunami background. I can understand why some people are so disappointed, the subject is disturbing and unusual : how can you accept the loss of your child without a clear evidence of his death, and how can you express your own pain in a devastated country where most people are going through intense sufferings, violence and poverty ? Even if Vinyan is not perfect, i really liked the very dark atmosphere that stay with you long after the end of the film. I'm not a huge fan of Emmanuelle Béart but I think she is quite convincing in this role, far from her usual characters.

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• This is not a story!

  ShawnM12009-04-24

  I don't usually write reviews, but this film needs to be rescued from the grumpy hoi polloi who thought it was a horror flick and found it to be more than they could probably handle. This film is being badly mis-marketed. This movie is exactly what it aspired to be. It conveyed something deep and meaningful. The question is, who would even want to understand such a thing? It is not my kind of movie and I had no idea what to expect when I rented it, but I kind of got sucked into it. It gave me bad dreams; it haunted me for a few days. This film reminds me a little bit of Apocalypse Now, the photography and locations are stunning. There are scenes I will probably never be able to forget, and some I don't wish to. I think what makes this story so frightening is that everything that happens in it is plausible. That is hard to accept for some people. From the opening scene, the imagery and sounds are stunning. To put it simply: This movie is about what it really, really means deep down for a family to lose their child; is their any sadder thing to contemplate? I don't expect everyone to even be capable of remaining receptive to this movie after the first half; it took work for me. Viewers who wish to see darkness as art will be very pleased. For those who prefer glam decadence and prepackaged fluff, go watch Requiem For a Dream. For those who want nice, pretty stories, watch Rachel's Wedding.

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