The previous reviews of Styria are wildly mixed, from rave to pan. Some reviewers are clearly not all that familiar with moody Gothic horror, and in particular those films (and television) from the 1960's and '70's, and so the film seems fresh and unique. Others have very logical minds, and so the incongruities of the film are unforgivable. I'll try to have my comments come from a mindset somewhere in the middle...
Styria is a highly flawed and yet handsome film, full of attractive actors (specifically actresses), a rich Gothic mood, and unusual locations. The characters are highly inconsistent, the signals often repetitive, and the dialogue usually rings of 'English as a second language' awkward. Though the plot is often subtle, the individual scenes are more regularly heavy-handed. The cast is extremely photogenic, which seems to be at the cost of acting... none are truly terrible, but leads Eleanor Tomlinson as Lara, particularly in her scenes with Stephen Rea, and Julia Pietrucha as Carmilla, choke out their unnatural dialogue and often play understated emotions as if to the last row of the theater.
The worst performance is Jacek Lenartowicz as General Spiegel, completely over the top and nonsensical. One might argue that the film is intended to have a dream-like feel, which it most likely is, and that the ambiguity of the characters is meant to reflect this, but his true motives are so heavily confirmed near the end that whatever point intended by the vagueness is completely lost. In fact the motives of all of the characters are brought into question at one point or another, which I feel is one of the films strengths. But none are resolved in an interesting manner.
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Perhaps the biggest flaw to the film is the crazy number of concepts set forth to explain the strange goings-on. There's the ancient stairwell, the backwards townsfolk, the vampire theory, the idea of some spirit who periodically comes forward to compel young women to commit suicide. The outcome is unclear, though the Showtime blurb on the movie (shown under the name 'Angels of Darkness') is "Lara's psychic wounds cause a living nightmare that consumes an entire town". This is arguably the most interesting explanation of events, though not made clear by the story, and one probably not taken from the source novel, 'Carmilla'. Early in the film it's explained that Lara was accused of pushing a girl down the stairs at her former school, and as a result was expelled. She denies this, and her journal, full of stylized watercolors, shows the scene as if Lara's shadow did the pushing. Is the implication that Lara is psychokinetic, and the loss of her new and close friend Carmilla, mixed with her delusions based on the local myths, is somehow creating a psychic wave that compels the local girls to kill themselves? The townspeople, with no explanation other than 'you're not from here', seem to blame Lara for the tragic events. Some even kill the afflicted girls, as if they're somehow contagious. All very muddy...
Overall a messy, interesting film, not a waste of time but far from satisfying and whole. The finest attribute, the beautiful imagery, has mostly to do with the attractive cast and highly textured settings. Otherwise a grab bag of too many unexplored ideas, wild inconsistencies, and heavy acting and dialogue.
Styria is a highly flawed and yet handsome film, full of attractive actors (specifically actresses), a rich Gothic mood, and unusual locations. The characters are highly inconsistent, the signals often repetitive, and the dialogue usually rings of 'English as a second language' awkward. Though the plot is often subtle, the individual scenes are more regularly heavy-handed. The cast is extremely photogenic, which seems to be at the cost of acting... none are truly terrible, but leads Eleanor Tomlinson as Lara, particularly in her scenes with Stephen Rea, and Julia Pietrucha as Carmilla, choke out their unnatural dialogue and often play understated emotions as if to the last row of the theater.
The worst performance is Jacek Lenartowicz as General Spiegel, completely over the top and nonsensical. One might argue that the film is intended to have a dream-like feel, which it most likely is, and that the ambiguity of the characters is meant to reflect this, but his true motives are so heavily confirmed near the end that whatever point intended by the vagueness is completely lost. In fact the motives of all of the characters are brought into question at one point or another, which I feel is one of the films strengths. But none are resolved in an interesting manner.
******************************spoilers*************************
Perhaps the biggest flaw to the film is the crazy number of concepts set forth to explain the strange goings-on. There's the ancient stairwell, the backwards townsfolk, the vampire theory, the idea of some spirit who periodically comes forward to compel young women to commit suicide. The outcome is unclear, though the Showtime blurb on the movie (shown under the name 'Angels of Darkness') is "Lara's psychic wounds cause a living nightmare that consumes an entire town". This is arguably the most interesting explanation of events, though not made clear by the story, and one probably not taken from the source novel, 'Carmilla'. Early in the film it's explained that Lara was accused of pushing a girl down the stairs at her former school, and as a result was expelled. She denies this, and her journal, full of stylized watercolors, shows the scene as if Lara's shadow did the pushing. Is the implication that Lara is psychokinetic, and the loss of her new and close friend Carmilla, mixed with her delusions based on the local myths, is somehow creating a psychic wave that compels the local girls to kill themselves? The townspeople, with no explanation other than 'you're not from here', seem to blame Lara for the tragic events. Some even kill the afflicted girls, as if they're somehow contagious. All very muddy...
Overall a messy, interesting film, not a waste of time but far from satisfying and whole. The finest attribute, the beautiful imagery, has mostly to do with the attractive cast and highly textured settings. Otherwise a grab bag of too many unexplored ideas, wild inconsistencies, and heavy acting and dialogue.