by AllieHanley Geekscape Fantastic Fest Review: ‘A Dark Song’

You can bet the team at Fantastic Fest didn’t have to think hard on including Liam Gavin’s “A Dark Song” in their first round of films for this year’s festival which concluded last week in Austin.

“A Dark Song” begins with Sophia (Catherine Howard), who has suffered a tremendous loss. Her child was stolen away and his body never found. Upon discovery of a six month long ritual that may give her the ability to communicate with her presumed dead child, she enlists the help of an occultist (Steve Oram). He seems like a lost cause and a hot mess, but she’s desperate. Her hope is that he can perform the rituals which may lead to her fondest wish being granted; if that truly is what she desires.

Liam Gavin as writer/director, has created a compelling story that at first glance seems predictable, but it’s actually far from that. It’s deep and brooding, filled with quiet moments that give you time to consider. When a lessor director might have opted to tell his story by more obvious means, like big spooky bangs, or visuals that shock, Gavin goes in another direction. His “Dark Song” makes you wonder by not doing the obvious. What follows is a slow-boil horror/thriller that is more dependent upon the unseen for most of the film, and when the timing is right, it delivers.

The film features only four credited actors but mostly plays to just two, in which you never grow bored of watching. They keep doing activities that strangely captivate. Also, most of the film takes place within one confined area, a home where the spell is being conducted, and again, you don’t get bored with it. The film never feels small and confined. The use of the set, the sound and score, as well as the very intriguing actors portrayals keeps you on the edge of your seat. All done to great affect and brilliance from Gavin. It’s still hard to believe this is his first feature film as a writer/director because the choices he makes, and the visual restraint he practices all point to a much more seasoned story-teller. I still want to know who the dark figure with the cigarette was a week later. His film really has the power to linger on in your imagination far after seeing it.

The main qualification of a film to play at “Fantastic Fest” is that as the end credits roll, you should have a sense of saying or feeling that film was fantastic. “A Dark Song” fulfills that requisite magnificently. It’s original in the best way; in that you think you know what the story is about, and where it’s going to go, but it doesn’t. It takes the genre and bends it into new territory within a genre and that makes it unique where so many movies along these lines nowadays are not. Gavin correctly uses light and tone, sound and visuals to evoke a captivating story that is best viewed without much detail from a critic as the discovery of “A Dark Song” is part of what makes it so fantastic.

Rating 4 out of 5

How to see this film: It was released in Ireland a month ago, and is set to play in London Oct. 7th. It doesn’t have a real US release date yet. Better viewed on the big screen, so stay tuned to Geekscape for the release date coming soon.