DIS [Review]

There has been one actor that I have had my eye on pretty much since I’ve started writing for HM.ca, and his name is Bill Oberst Jr., a guy who is basically the hardest working actor in horror, maybe in all of film for that matter. The dude goes above and beyond and it shows in all his films, but his latest, DIS, from director Adrian Corona, may have been his most intense and strangest film to date.

The film follows an ex-soldier by the name of Ariel (Bill Oberst Jr.) who takes refuge in a beautiful forest, which just so happens to be the home of one mandrake garden. Now, I’ll just clear something up real quick, this mandrake is like NOTHING you have seen before, forget your Harry Potter’s, this is something else and it’s utterly bizarre but absolutely fascinating.

So, back to this mandrake garden, it is fueled by the blood, flesh and semen of the damned courtesy of one very determined and demonic gardener, seriously, this beast ain’t Alan Titchmarsh, and it has one goal; purge the damned.

And sadly, Ariel just so happens to get a little too close for comfort as he comes face to face with this demonic figure.

The film is by all accounts visually stunning. The locations and the cinematography are truly beautiful, it’s an art-form, and as such that sums up DIS. It’s art, it’s mesmerizing, unique but above all else open. You the viewer should interpret this as you see fit, I don’t think there is any right or wrong way, although there is quite possibly a deeper meaning to it all, and I love how this creature takes and gives back to the earth for it to flourish, it’s beautiful.

Adrian Corona truly delivered with this, it’s an experimental film but it doesn’t come across as pretentious in any way, it’s quite euphoric in parts and yet psychologically challenging in others. It makes you think but also leaves you almost disoriented, much like if you spin-around and suddenly stop, but after a while it comes to you.

And as such, Bill Oberst Jr., excelled as the lead, going above and beyond in what appeared to be a very demanding role, both mentally and physically, but he delivered with his intense portrayal of the character even with so few words spoken. If you’ve ever seen Bill before, you know he can tell a story just by the expressions on his face without uttering a single word.

I will just put this out there, there is quite a lot of nudity and some scenes may make you feel slightly uncomfortable, and while there isn’t much in terms of gore, it does leave a psychological dent in ones psyche.

So, as you can probably tell, this isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you’re looking for something truly unique and you’re open about new experiences, give this one a whirl when you can. It’s one of the strangest films I’ve seen but strange is good.