REVIEW: LANDLOCKED

• Director: Paul Owens
• Writer: Paul Owens
• Stars: Jeffrey Owens, Mason Owens, Paul Owens

REVIEW

Paul Owens debut, itself a result of the pandemic lockdown, is an atmospheric, lo-fi film that utilises Owens’ family home videos and intercuts them in within the film. It’s a family affair with all available Owens on hand to help out.

Mason returns to his childhood home after his father’s death as the house is going to be demolished and the land sold. As Mason begins to go through his father’s old belongings, he discovers a huge cache of old videos and video equipment, including a VHS camera. When he checks out the camera up and looks through the viewfinder, he sees the past, not historical moments but his own past – Mason sees the video footage of himself and his brothers as children along with his father as a younger man.

The tricks that Owens uses are quite slight, and I definitely think that it is for the better. The home videos that are inserted through the film really give the film that atmosphere that was needed, a supernatural or at least an uncanny feeling when watching. The home videos give us the emotion centre of the film (as strange as that is to type) and it really works, Mason Owens himself also sells the moments of discoveries well, hitting the required emotion for the scenes and he does a great job throughout the film.

Landlocked is a very low-key film, certainly not a mood piece but one of those slow reveal films and it is a perfectly paced one, it’s a bit horror, a bit sci-fi and wrapped up in a family drama. The climax is heart-breaking and hits exactly the right notes with regards to memories and grief. A film that should inspire would be filmmakers to just go and shoot a film.

Landlocked is available now on Digital

Ryan Morrissey-Smith | Twitter: @TigersMS78