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Lazy (2017)
I see what they WANTED to do...
This could have been the classic sort of coming of age tale they wanted it to be, but it's held back by several things. There are powerful themes at play, and the style of it is enough to show what they wanted to do, but it just doesn't come across. The two leads are mediocre actors, but the script was OK in most places, it had some issues but could have come across much better with better direction and acting.
The actor who played Lucas was meant to be a playful, confident sort but can't pull it off and is one of the worst performances in the film. I don't think I would call him a bad actor inherently, but he seems very new to it, and a better director could have probably utilized him much better. The actor who played Kyle was decent enough, if a little flat. The girl who played Emma did quite a good job, and the chemistry between Kyle and Emma was probably the best-performed relationship out of them all. The friendship between Kyle and Lucas never seemed real, beyond the frictions the storyline would have suggested there would be.
I think the lack of ever seeing Evan's face, not in flashback or in a picture or anything, was a poor choice. Given that even while absent he plays a large role in the film, tying it to a face would have lent a good deal to it. I will give the film credit for pretty accurately portraying the suffocating oppression of being a teenager in the beginning segments, though, and overall it does a good job showing that growth and living only really happens when out from under the thumb of 'for their own good' control by older adults. Friends can't talk or joke around without being shouted at or punished. A meal can't be had without their life being examined. They can't sit down and simply be for any amount of time without being seen as "wasting" their time. There is never any let-up and the literal beating Kyle is given later seems like fun compared to the constant inescapable squeeze of the suburban pressure cooker at home.
It wanted to be a classic coming-of-age story about personal growth and the pain of those left behind after a suicide. It got across that it wanted to be that. But in the end it doesn't achieve that goal.
The Bunny Game (2011)
Boring, terrible dreck
(Contains spoilers) There is a self-destructive female prostitute.
There is a male sadist.
The male sadist kidnaps the female and tortures her.
That is all.
Really, that's it.
A film which contains only these 3 things could inspire the viewer to ponder the horror experienced by the victim, or the motivations and nature of the abuser. This film, however, does not. It is actually difficult to make torture boring. Humans are hard-wired for empathy (research mirror neurons if you are curious) and even fictional imagery of other humans in tortuous situations will normally cause some sort of reaction in the viewer. This film does not. The abuser and victim both are hollow. They fill their roles as if punching a clock. They are as bored as the audience. The abuser has no desire to abuse or to stop abusing. The victim has no desire to stop suffering or to continue to suffer. They are void. Though human in shape, there is no humanity in either. The film might as well be two machines screeching and banging against each other.
The Boy (2015)
Accurate depiction of a sociopath in childhood
(Contains conceptual but not plot spoilers)
The Boy is a slow film because it needs to be. The audience is given much to think about. Ted is a 9 year old sociopath. What degree of that is due to his experiences and how much is down to his genetics is an open question for the audience to consider. It is set in the late 1980s, prior to the start of the pedophile panic in the mid-1990s so Ted gets the opportunity to interact with the guests, each of which he uses to further his goals. A modern audience will likely worry for his safety, but it quickly becomes clear that the guests are the ones who are unsafe as Ted uses his access and position of presumed powerlessness to get what he wants.
Like any sociopath, Ted is short on emotions. He is entirely goal-driven and utterly amoral in his pursuit of those goals. Other reviewers have described him as angry, but the only time he ever appears angry is when his father interferes with Teds goals. The rest of the time he is a typical sociopath with a flat affect, displaying no malice, anger, or any other emotion.
The classics are all there - abusing and killing animals, arson, manipulation, hurting other people just to see what happens, and unwavering pursuit of arbitrarily-chosen goals. Overall a chilling depiction of a sociopath and a warning to not expect moral restraint of their actions, regardless of their age.