REVIEW | Ryan Morrissey-Smith
- Director: Simon Glassman
- Writer: Allison Bench, Simon Glassman, Elisia Snyder
- Stars: Kevin Singh, Ahmed Ahmed, Brandon Vanderwal, Allison Bench, Claire Theobald
How to explain Buffet Infinity? On the surface it is a bunch of public access TV advertisements and news clips that tells the story of two competing restaurants in the fictional area of Westridge. But then that would be leaving out the massive sinkhole that has just opened. The multitudes of missing people and the strange sound that seems to be engulfing the town. And the possible cult that is taking over without even mentioning the cosmic level horror that might be about to hit Westridge.
There are many ways to tell a horror story and the way Buffet Infinity tells its story pushes back against anything mainstream. It’s bold and requires some patience from the audience but one thing is for sure, Buffet Infinity is always interesting. The way I see it, the film gives you two ways to watch it. One is to just let it wash over you like you’re an insomniac channel surfing in the wee hours or the second is to try and play detective and figure out the why of what is happening. Both ways work because Buffet Infinity throws away any regular structure, freeing up both the film and audience to do things outside of the norm.
Director Simon Glassman has crafted a superb experimental horror film that starts out so unassumingly and whilst there is a line of humour running through the early parts of the film it slowly turns with every minute that passes and with every block of ads and news clips, another layer of intrigue and strangeness gets added and before you know it everything little banal thing has become laced with dread. You get to know the revolving door of characters through their ads for their respective businesses. Every actor (Singh, Ahmed, Vanderwal, Bench, Theobald et al) nails that not-quite-rehearsed advertisement quality, it helps keep things authentic, even as the really unsettling parts of the film begin to land and take shape.
I couldn’t help but think of the novel House Of Leaves whilst watching Buffet Infinity and not because of any plot or story similarities but because they both tell a story in an unconventional way that keeps you invested until the very end. That’s not to say that the film doesn’t suffer a bit of drag through the repetitive pattern of the format, but it manages to make the payoff worth it in the end. It is like you are watching lost media as if you’d found an old VHS or DVD without a label and just decided to see what was on it.
Some people (like me) will absolutely love this film, and others won’t understand why they do and I do understand both sides. However, we crave original stories and innovative or creative ways in which to tell them and it’s here that Buffet Infinity delivers.
Buffet Infinity is in select cinemas April 24th and on VOD May 8th.
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