by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Are you ready to expand your world of horror cinema? Saudi Arabia is generally not a country you think about a lot when it comes to the film, as they don’t have a ton that make their way over to the States. But with such a wide range of movies from all around the world defining the state of cinema, now seems like a perfect time to make the jump. Culture can be explored in the fantastical narratives of horror, and it can open the audiences’ minds to different ways of life. The Cello is a film deeply rooted in the culture of Saudi Arabia, but is not a full-blown Saudi project. With director Darren Lynn Bousman and stars Jeremy Irons and Tobin Bell, you have a bit of a mixed perspective instead.
Most of the Saudi perspective comes from the writer, Turki Al Alshikh… but does the script deliver? It has a lot of weaknesses, but it’s hard to argue with the concept. The Cello brings a modern take and a new cultural perspective to the Robert Johnson and the Devil narrative we have seen before, but there are issues when it comes to the antagonists, as well as the characters in general. The film tries to balance layers of the antagonists, and it just feels overly convoluted. By the time you get to the end, it just doesn’t feel necessary. The characters in general are quite flat and express themselves through clunky and uninteresting dialogue. And it features those pesky horror tropes, like some random extra knowledgeable character overly explaining the plot, as well as a whole cast of characters who do not act in any rational ways.
Does Bousman bring anything to the table to help elevate those elements? The horror aspects, which are obviously essential to the process, are shaky. There are plenty of imaginations that just invoke dread and fear in the atmosphere. Ghostly visages which are unnerving to look at, body horror, and mutilations are quite poignant. Bousman overplays a few elements, but most notable is the slow motion. There is an obscene amount of it that just makes the scenes feel cheesy and silly, even when this script is deadly serious. Even some visual effects come off as so campy and absurd when dark things are happening on screen. The pacing is also an issue, as The Cello drags for the two hours. It is also inconsistent from a visual craft perspective, but most won’t notice too much.
Can this mixed cast of Saudi, American, and European performers elevate some of the clunky elements? Unfortunately, almost everyone struggles to make the dialogue believable, and many of the Saudi cast members offer up aggressively big performances, which struggle with the realism of the situation. Samer Ismail attempts to anchor the film, but his character is so flat and uninteresting that only his cello playing leaves an impact. Bell, a previous collaborator of Bousman’s, struggles to find any footing, because he barely makes any kind of cinematic impact. Irons is relegated to a weird face floating for the first two-thirds. When he shows up in person, he chews a bit of scenery and makes the most of a one-note character.
Is The Cello worth seeing? There is potential here, but much of it is squandered on a nonsensical crew of characters making the worst decisions possible. The horror elements are equally undercut, but there are ineffective directorial decisions as well. Overlong and underwhelming, this Saudi horror just doesn’t have the bite.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
The Cello is currently playing in theaters
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