Director: Brian McGuire
Starring: Brian McGuire, Bret Roberts, Nina Millan, James Duval, Farah Mokrani, Zach Green, Mark E. Fletcher, Logan Sparks.
Synopsis: WiNdOw LiCkEr, the journey of Ben Wild, into a new form of insanity, that no man has ever experienced before. Through addiction to prescription drugs, reality television, video games, & cam girls, can Ben Wild get to the root of himself?
Ever watched a film so bizarre that you thought you might have been on drugs while watching it? That’s how you feel when watching Brian McGuire’s latest WINDOW LICKER, but don’t worry, if you do not feel like that by the end then you really did not get the film at all.
Even though McGuire’s films don’t take on traditional narrative anyway, WINDOW LICKER breaks down the narrative as more of a spiral rather than an easy step-by-step look. In the film we follow Ben Wild (McGuire) as he slips into a “new form of insanity” as he tries to deal with every day life. The film mixes numerous genres, going from Sci-Fi to Dark Comedy, and quite incredibly, over half of the film is shot on an Android 4G Motion Cellphone.
McGuire takes on all duties for the movie, and surprisingly plays the role of Ben Wild well. It’s easy to dismiss the performance because of the fact he has taken on everything, but it does put him at an advantage. It would also be easy for McGuire to play Wild in an over the top manner, but the quietness to his slow deterioration is fascinating to watch. We also see some familiar McGuire faces as the supporting cast, more notably DONNIE DARKO’s James Duval, but our runaway favourite has to be Nina Millin as Ben’s sister Alda Wild. Played against Ben’s slow demise into the void we have Alda’s constant chatter, so amped up on coffee she seems to go a mile a minute. The presence of Millin and McGuire on screen is absolutely incredible and even though she’s not on screen long, she steals the show.
While WINDOW LICKER might be a bit crudely put together, it shows what exactly can be done on a next to nothing budget. It doesn’t lose any of its heart through out, and from beginning to end it takes you on Ben’s spiraling journey and grabs you by the hand for the dark journey. Just don’t watch it when you’re high, we can’t be held responsible for what will happen.
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