Although omnipresent in the indie world as a producer with Glass Eye Pix, and regularly popping up in quick indelible cameo appearances on screen such as in the recent “The Dead Don’t Die”, his absence as a director in the horror genre has been greatly felt the past almost six years. But that all ends now as Larry Fessenden is back behind the lens, writing and directing one of the most original interpretations and reimaginations of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” with DEPRAVED.
From a compelling script to rich, polished, saturated, beauteous cinematography to dynamic and exhilarating performances from Joshua Leonard, David Call, and relative newcomer Alex Breaux, Fessenden delivers not only the most thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating film of his storied career, but the most visually and emotionally expressive. A love story, a character study, a study on the heart of a man versus man’s humanity (or lack thereof), a commentary on greed, power, ego, an exploration of morals and ethics, Fessenden digs deep into the very soul of “man”.
A former Army medic now suffering from PTSD, Henry works in his hidden Brooklyn laboratory, anxious and nervously engrossed in some sort of medical work. Glimpses show us blood, filth, stark harsh white lighting, and unsanitary conditions, making one wonder what exactly he’s doing. Secretive and distancing himself from his girlfriend, friends, and family, Henry is haunted by the never-ending death he witnessed in the Middle East. As we slowly learn, Henry is trying to play God; trying to rebuild life instead of watching it slip away. Obtaining one final element, Henry finally reveals his creation – Adam. Working in tandem with a man named Pollidori, Henry has built Adam from various body parts of others. From exactly whom and how those parts were procured remains to be seen, but here lies a man; a man who also serves as a guinea pig for a multiplicity of pharmaceuticals which Pollidori is trying to peddle to big pharma and make a monetary killing.
As we quickly see, building the physical body of a man is the easy part. But what about building the psyche, the synapses, the conscience, the intellect, the morals, the emotions, even the ability to function on a day-to-day basis in the world? How do you manufacture a living breathing complete human? And what happens if you succeed and the creation is greater than the creator?
The first thing that strikes one on viewing DEPRAVED is its beauty. “Gorgeous” is not often a word that pops into one’s head when thinking of a horror film or a psychological horror film, but that is what immediately comes to mind with the opening frames. Thanks to Fessenden and cinematographer Chris Skotchdopole, the film is not only rich and filled with a saturation of color not often seen in genre films, but it has a polish which belies the guttural nature of the “meatball” surgery and moral viciousness of the actions of Henry and Pollidori, creating a wonderful metaphoric dichotomy.
As if the cinematography isn’t enough, take a look at the editing, VFX, and animation. Also serving as editor, Fessenden creates glorious effects with dissolves and standout superimpositions and animations depicting the synapses connecting as new information is learned by Adam. Beauteous is the almost hallucinogenic confusion of fat amoebas in day-glo green and blue bouncing around the screen when Adam is in a state of confusion. Beautiful and telling. By far, this is the most visually and emotionally expressive film Fessenden has done as a director. There is a lyrical elegance to the VFX/animation buttressed by an emotionally haunting score by Will Bates.
Not to be overlooked is April Lasky’s production design, most notably Henry’s lab. Built entirely from scratch in a loft, the detail amazes and adds a texture and viscerality to the story. Multiple viewings are required to catch every little detail that helps define “man.”
And then there’s the story. A love story. A character study. An exploration of morals and ethics that goes beyond Shelley’s original “Frankenstein”. DEPRAVED makes us ask the questions. Where does one draw the line? Do you give in to cutting corners under the guise of the greater good when in reality it’s for self-glorification and the almighty dollar? Where does genius end and madness begin? We question the morals of war and collateral damage. We question the morals of the daily existence of some. And Fessenden delivers wonderful commentary on the pharmaceutical industry. But this is an even greater study and commentary on the heart of a man and man’s humanity. For my money, this falls more in line with a psychological drama punctuated with some horrific moments than a straight horror genre film.
But then one has to turn to the casting. In a word – wow!
The pomposity of Pollidori is delicious and Joshua Leonard dives in with elocution and vocal cadence, punctuated by posture and mannerisms of a pretend erudite. Quite fascinating watching him in this role. You can tell he’s loving it. And no one does pompous like Joshua Leonard!
Similarly, David Call’s take on Henry. We see Henry spiral out of control. We see the chinks in his psychological armor and while he initially presents as a gifted and skilled medical intellectual, that slowly falls apart. Henry’s ebullience turns to frustration and anger as Adam surpasses him in intelligence and capability, only to turn to freneticism and panic before coming back down to earth on truly realizing what he has done and the ramifications thereon.
And then there’s Alex Breaux. Talk about perfection. Introspective and thoughtful, he reels us into Adam’s mind and his awakening of consciousness and physical healing. Breaux’s body movements are powerfully fragile and tentative, even palpable, as we watch his body take baby steps only to eventually move into full-throttled athleticism and agility. Needless to say, Breaux’s former football career at Harvard came in handy with this role. But then, Breaux delivers an emotional range that is based on naivete only to then become eyes wide open and see the world for all of its harsh truths and nastiness. Fascinating watching this performance.
So much more than a “horror movie”, DEPRAVED is a masterful work from one of the great masters of the genre that asks the question, “what makes us human?”
Written and Directed by Larry Fessenden
Cast: Joshua Leonard, David Call, Alex Breaux
by debbie elias, 08/29/2019
