FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Savvas is growing increasingly disillusioned with his job. He’s tired of working as a bouncer of the city’s premiere nightclub, dancing and bouncing and partying all the time, and bouncing from bed to bed. Though still a young guy, he’s experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. Then one night after work he runs into Lia by accident (and I do mean car crash), and his whole world changes. Not only does he have a new relationship with a beautiful, if slightly psychotic girl, but he also has a new relationship with God. Has Savvas really found what he’s looking for, or is he merely romanticizing the excitement this new, unpredictable and mysterious woman provides?

“Face Control” perfectly personifies the love/hate relationship. He loves Lia and I hate this movie. I could never really understand why he loves Lia so much. Sure she’s hot and seductive, but aside from a few scenes showcasing her various psychoses, that’s all we really see. There isn’t a whole lot offered to explain the relationship or its dynamics. It all comes out of left field. Maybe the film just tried to put a little too much in too small a time frame. Running at a mere 84 minutes, there isn’t enough time to fully accomplish everything it sets out to. Although, maybe if writer/director Vangelis Seitanidis (“Ghost of a Chance”) would have sacrificed some of the stupid crap at the end in favor of developing his characters and creating a more interesting storyline, those measly 84 minutes wouldn’t seem so unbearably long and contrived.

The whole thing needs retooling as far as I’m concerned. They shot it on video using a handicam, except I’m pretty sure the cameraman has Parkinson’s. The whole thing is poorly lit, and no setting the film at night and/or in a nightclub is no excuse. I could see what was going on, but it just looked horrible. Somehow it manages to be one-step above a high school kid’s first effort, despite the consistently canted angles and the overabundance of close-ups early on. Seriously, they get all up in there sometimes. How about a little face control? The editing is bad, complete with a scene using a tacky digital slow motion effect. If you know (or even if you think) you’re going to want to make something slow motion in the final cut, then shoot it that way. Don’t do it in post.

There are a couple of good scenes, but those easily get outweighed by the bad. I liked the rapid fire dialogue, but then I had to sit through these other horrible sequences. A few times throughout the picture, Savvas gets the feeling he’s being followed or watched. The music gets all tense, and the camera goes into stalker mode for a bit, until it’s revealed that nothing’s there. Eventually there is a payoff, which I’m sure the director thinks is brilliant and profound, but I found to be lame and unsatisfying. Just like the whole movie, really. Oh, and please don’t play “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” so much. That’s all I have to say. Well, not really, but why waste your time. I think you get the point.

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