Uncomfortable. Shocked. Angry. Disgusted.
These were merely a few of the emotions felt while being glued to the latest film from James Cullen Bressack, “Hate Crimeâ€. The title itself probably makes you feel a little off, right?
Mr. Bressack asked that all reviews be kept spoiler-free; I imagine he wants the viewers to go into this experience not knowing what to expect. I’ll ruin that a little bit for you here; expect fear, expect revulsion and expect to be brought somewhere you probably did not wish to go and you probably hope to never be again.
It all starts out innocently enough as a family of five moves to a nice home in a new town. The youngest son is celebrating a birthday and dad is using the new camcorder to document the happy day. And so we venture into a film-style that I’ve learned to loathe over the past few years; the “found footage†film. The funny thing? It worked perfectly here and added to the sheer brutality of the story.
I’ll not discuss the story, I’ll let you sit through and stomach it yourself, but be advised that the birthday party quickly takes a turn for the worse. My initial reaction was shock. To borrow from Stephen King, my mouth was a “wet, sloppy O of surprise†throughout much of the film and I’m sure yours will be too.
“Hate Crime†is definitely not a film for everyone. What I mean by that is while I think that everyone should see it because the message is that strong, I just don’t think everyone will be able to deal with the horror that Mr. Bressack has brought to the genre. If you’re brave enough and have a strong stomach, go for it; it’s a hell of a ride.
