18 / December
2011
Moments of intensity
There are very strong moments of intensity in Vitor Medeiros’s "Psychic Spies from China". The sound, in particular, is used to excellent effect to create tension, suspense, and a tactile yet dreamlike quality. The moments that stand out most to me are when Pedro is roaming the nighttime streets of Los Angeles, shirtless and confused as in a nightmare, and his steps on pavement are conveyed as steps in water through the sound, which emphasize the disoriented feeling to the viewer. It causes the viewer to question what it is they are watching, and what may be real and what is not.
I also enjoyed the camera and lighting in Medeiros’s film. Several shots are composed quite dramatically, the shots focusing on close-ups of Pedro’s head sticking out most in my mind. The eye movements are brilliantly synced with the sound and create pleasing synesthetic effects that stirred a dreamlike feeling within me as I was watching. Finally, there are also some very strong uses of light, again with the closeups focusing on Pedro’s face. Extreme blacks are spotlighted with very bright white light to create this suspension of space, which heightens the surrealistic quality of not knowing quite where we are.
The only part of the film that let me down slightly was the ending. With the brilliantly suspenseful buildup the majority of the film painstakingly creates, the ending feels a little tacked-on and not nearly as original and experimental as the rest. Indeed, it feels a little like the cheap Hollywood endings the film seeks to mock. Even if irony or satire were the intention, the execution is not strong compared to earlier moments in the film and does not leave a strong impression.
But the ending is only the last few seconds of the film. The build up and beautiful shots before more than make up for it, and I would highly recommend viewing "Psychic Spies from China" and to keep an eye on this promising young filmmaker.
Grimanesa Amorós
I also enjoyed the camera and lighting in Medeiros’s film. Several shots are composed quite dramatically, the shots focusing on close-ups of Pedro’s head sticking out most in my mind. The eye movements are brilliantly synced with the sound and create pleasing synesthetic effects that stirred a dreamlike feeling within me as I was watching. Finally, there are also some very strong uses of light, again with the closeups focusing on Pedro’s face. Extreme blacks are spotlighted with very bright white light to create this suspension of space, which heightens the surrealistic quality of not knowing quite where we are.
The only part of the film that let me down slightly was the ending. With the brilliantly suspenseful buildup the majority of the film painstakingly creates, the ending feels a little tacked-on and not nearly as original and experimental as the rest. Indeed, it feels a little like the cheap Hollywood endings the film seeks to mock. Even if irony or satire were the intention, the execution is not strong compared to earlier moments in the film and does not leave a strong impression.
But the ending is only the last few seconds of the film. The build up and beautiful shots before more than make up for it, and I would highly recommend viewing "Psychic Spies from China" and to keep an eye on this promising young filmmaker.
Grimanesa Amorós