Today's blog post is a little later than usual because, well...I hadn't planned on watching a film today. But as fate would have it, while adding things to my Amazon.com wish list, the title Ink was recommended. The artwork caught my eye and attention. And I immediately Googled it. Discovering that the whole movie was on available to watch on Hulu completely changed my night. With that said, if you can get it on DVD, do so. The "limited commercial breaks" really pissed me off. (Sorry if you didn't want the backstory.)Ink, directed by Jamin Winans, follows the story of John Sullivan (Christopher Soren Kelly), a very wealthy businessman. In the first two minutes, a SUV t-bones John's car, leaving him unconscious. The accident is where the story begins, when trauma fills John's life.
The bigger picture of the movie, which took much longer to grasp, is the ongoing battle of good versus evil. Sounds simple enough, right? Forgetting about John for a moment, the viewer is forced to look down upon the world. Or in this case, a suburban neighborhood. The good warriors, who give human beings happy, delightful dreams, do whatever they can to beat back the incubi, givers of nightmares. They sputter into existence in a flash of light, with a sound similar to popping corn. Before I knew who they were, I considered them bad because of chosen costuming. Most were dressed in dark clothing and began sliding into peoples' houses silently, like robbers. It is truly amazing how the mind makes split decisions about characters when trying to figure out their places in the plotline. Confused, to say the least, I had no idea where this film was taking me.
However, it was the first pleasant surprise to see the heroes without hue fighting for good.
Emma (Quinn Hunchar) is a bubbly, blonde little girl living with her grandparents. When we first meet her, a woman clothed in all black sits at the foot of her bed. Like I said before, my brain was throwing up huge red flags, which I'm sure were intentional. She leaves when she sees Emma sleeping peacefully. Of course, as soon as everything is fine, throw in Ink, a man in an extremely large cloak, equipped with baby-sized bongos. Ink hunts down and kidnaps her. With a couple of taps on the bongos, a portal opens and Emma is gone. In the real world, she has seized and fallen into a coma.
Going back to John and rewinding a bit, the viewer learns that the sales pitch he will make later that day will make or break his career. As he is preparing, an unexpected bomb is dropped on him. Ron, the grandfather of Emma, has come to tell John that he should be at the hospital for his daughter. Thus begins one of the most interesting story lines I have ever seen.
I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I loved the way the two simultaneous plots clicked together so well. Although they didn't seem at all relevant to each other, each new piece of information made the other picture a little more clear. It reminded me of watching Inception for the first time, in the sense that multiple stories with multiple pieces keep the mind active throughout the show. One blink and the viewer could miss something, especially since Winans was keen on quick, almost subliminal messages.
Something I noticed, that became especially prevalent through John's struggle, was the camera style. Abrupt cuts and odd angles added a different feel to the film, but I did not agree with all of them. I'm not a huge fan of extremely jumpy, almost dizzying shots. To achieve a certain mentality or to get a point across about a character is fine. It bugged me a little that every so often, the camera would jerk, throwing the continuity off ever so slightly for only a moment. Sounds like nitpicking, but as a nerd, I notice these things.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Throughout the film, John's internal struggle, ironically like a car crash, may have been my favorite thing to watch. It was equal parts frightening and depressing to see what an effect his wife Shelly had on his life. Once she was removed, his life completely toppled. Hiding behind a facade of pride and booze, he gave the impression that he was a happy and successful businessman. On the inside, he was aching from the pain of losing custody of his daughter, caused by his self-destructive habits. I didn't consider this to be a scary movie, but by dissecting it, it has a lot of scary elements. An incubi was constantly following, practically possessing John. His immunity to others' emotions and the whispering "in his head" brings awareness to how trauma can make a person snap. And I loved every second of it.
I don't think the movie ever said how Shelly died. I may have been too focused on putting the bigger pieces of the puzzle together, but I don't remember a specific reasoning for her death. That upset me a little because the imagery of Shelly and John ending up the same way was haunting. The last time he ever saw her alive, she was in a neck brace on a stretcher, the exact same way he rolled up to the hospital after his accident.
The main characters were so damn likable. Despite the fact that John comes off as a jerk, flashbacks redeem him and show that he had the potential to be a great father to Emma. I don't know how a person could not fall in love with that little girl. Granted, she doesn't have many lines, but she is precious. Perhaps the goofiest character in the film was Jacob (Jeremy Make), a blind pathfinder. He provided comic relief as well as an interesting take on life. With big black X marks over where his eyes should be, he listens for "the beat" of life rather than watching. That concept made me stop and think for a moment. It's not until you see someone with a handicap or an impairment that you truly appreciate what you have. He utilized his ears to the fullest, believing he could change the course of a life by listening. That idea really humbled me.
John as Ink was predictable, to say the least, but I'm a sucker for a full-circle film. Although I wasn't crazy about seeing Ink have a miraculous revelation when he couldn't stand Emma throughout, I love when story lines mirror. When the same scene is played out the same way in different settings, the film takes on a new meaning. What sets amateurs apart from professionals is the ability to achieve layers. The scene in the beginning with John protecting Emma from monsters says it all. Beginning as a memory, it later breaks the boundaries and becomes a means for the man to reconnect with his daughter.
SPOILERS END
Overall, this movie blew my mind. I ended up weeping, which doesn't happen too often. Especially on a film I was skeptical about. Attention to character detail and development made it a very interesting pick.
Out of four, I give it:
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