A group of criminals are hiding out from the law after their heist ends badly. Cut off from civilisation, the men are left alone with nothing but their own thoughts. After each of them starts to reflect and ponder on their life decisions that led them to this place, they find themselves face-to-face with demons from their pasts. The house, it seems, is capable of bringing your worst memories to life; and as they recount their lives, the men find themselves haunted and tormented by strange apparitions.
A film with minimal action pieces and set within the rural rundown confines of one house, The World We Knew isn’t the paciest of films. Directors Matthew Benjamin Jones and Luke Skinner give a lot of space to allow the men time with their thoughts and stories. Scenes are kept long and slow, with pages of dialogue at times, giving the film the feel of an intimate stage play. Visually, The World We Knew has an almost autumnal charm to it, the aura of changing seasons reflecting the men’s changing circumstances. Accompanying the soft and sombre visual and edit style is a score exclusively composed by French band, The Limiñanas. It’s a really cool and slightly bluesy collection of music that helps build atmosphere. Several instances of the score involving distorted guitars, are especially effective.
The lack of traditional action and conventional set-pieces means that there is no place for our cast to hide. With everything else so stripped back, the audience’s entire focus is on the six men presented before them. The cast all fully commit to their characters and The World We Knew is overflowing with talented performances. It helps that they have some strong dialogue to fall back on and the six have an interesting group dynamic. There are differing levels of familiarity and connections between the men and it makes for an entertaining game trying to puzzle out who links to who and how.
Waiting for Godot meets Reservoir Dogs, The World We Knew may not be action-packed, but it still manages to pack an entertaining punch.
The World We Knew was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Halloween.
The World We Knew
Summary
Ghosts of past misdeeds come calling in this atmospheric and contemplative crime thriller.
