Abigail Hardingham floored FrightFest attendees in 2015 with her turn in the fantastic Nina Forever. The film saw her character embark on a relationship with a man whose deceased ex was still very much a part of the relationship, especially in the bedroom. Now Hardingham returns to the festival with a starring role in Tiago Teixeira’s Custom, another film in which sex is key.
Hardingham plays Harriet, one half of a bespoke erotic content couple. She and her boyfriend Jasper (Rowan Polonski) create videos of themselves performing whatever sex acts their mysterious clients request. What begins innocently escalates into something more after they find themselves dragged into a nightmarish conspiracy involving a strange spool of film.
Unpicking Custom more than that proves to be tricky. This is a film that embraces oddity, the peculiar, and the surreal. The further the film pushes forward, the less its narrative structure matters as the viewer is drawn into the kaleidoscopic imagery. As the vibes wash over them, the audience succumb to the trance-like state that Custom induces. Once finished, some will be unable to articulate exactly what they experienced, but will just know that it connected with them on some level. Others though will despair at its abstract method of story-telling.
The obvious comparison for Custom would be the work of David Cronenberg. Custom taps into Videodrome, Existenz, and follows Cronenberg’s adoration of a disturbing yet sexual image. Another film that springs to mind would be Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, Custom keeping that same, almost fluid, progression through story. Even Paul Hyett’s lesser known Peripheral feels part of Custom’s DNA, though that might be both directors’ affinity for glossy, greasy skin.
Imagery is key to Custom’s power. Teixeira projects a plethora of weird and wild imagery with Hardingham especially committing hard to capture what the director requires. Given the nature of Harriet and Jasper’s work, Custom is full of sexual imagery too, but not in a sleazy or salacious way. These moments are arty, sensual, and elegant, and their inclusion goes beyond just teasing the viewer. Much of the film’s visuals run together in an almost dream-like manner. The entirety of Custom could be viewed as one long sexually-laced fever nightmare rather than a traditional narrative. Alongside all of this visual information is a sound design that is firmly planted within surrealist territory; the score further helps perpetuate that trance-like feeling.
Custom marks Tiago Teixeira’s first foray into feature-length movies but whilst doing so Teixeira has lost none of the style present in his short film portfolio. Often, due to their shorter runtime, short films can get weirder and over-stylised. With Custom, Teixeira demonstrates that you don’t have to sacrifice either. A well-made and stylish debut, Custom is a great homage to the master of weird – David Cronenberg – with enough personal flourishes to stand on its own two feet.
Custom
Summary
An abstract slice of horror, Custom’s warped imagery and sexuality entices and entrances the viewer, and whilst the plot is hard to pinpoint, the vibes it generates are highly entertaining.
Custom was reviewed at FrightFest Glasgow 2024.
