I loved everything about Resolution after my first viewing of it. The writing was intriguing and funny, the acting was fantastic, and the entire thing was unpredictable. The only problem with it was that damn ending, the ending that kept me wanting more. Although it is completely unrelated and has no connection whatsoever plot-wise, Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s Spring is that more that I was waiting for.
After his ill mother dies and he gets fired from his job, Evan decides it’s best to get out of town for a while. He wants a plane ticket to anywhere and ends up in beautiful Italy, where he quickly meets a girl who he can’t seem to shake. The couple’s relationship blossoms and intensifies rapidly until Louise unexpectedly breaks things off. Heartbroken, Evan, after a brief period of thought, returns to Louise’s home, discovering the truth of her centuries old secret…
As if I wasn’t already excited enough to finally have my hands on a new film by the geniuses Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, within 10 minutes of the film starting, I knew this was going to be another masterpiece. The young filmmaking duo, who happen to operate in pretty much all capacities imaginable — writer, director, producer, editor, sound design, casting director, cinematographer — have a knack for finding the best performers possible to portray characters in their films. Everyone from Lou Taylor Pucci who plays Evan and Nadia Hilker as Louise to the supporting cast of Jeremy Gardner (Battery), Vinny Curran who I loved in Resolution, and even Chris Palko also known as Cage does a fantastic job on screen. The performances are flawless and the chemistry, especially between Pucci and Hilker, is astounding, perhaps only rivaled in the last decade by Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin in Stephen Sommers’ Odd Thomas and the duo of Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran from Moorhead and Benson’s first project.
We have all seen genres being melded together in the past; Comedies and horror are very popular, science fiction and action seem to go hand in hand these days, but I have never imagined that romance and sci-fi horror would ever work. Moorhead and Benson have written a script that I feel technically should never work and managed to make it not only work, but also make it extremely entertaining and quite beautiful the whole way through. As far as love stories go, Spring is right up there with the likes of The Notebook or any other Nicholas Sparks story you want to throw into the ring. The relationship between the tragic Evan and the mysterious Louise is curious and envious and a real treat to watch unfold.
Love stories may not be a best fit for all horror fans, but when it is executed so perfectly and combined with an incredible science fiction twist, you can’t go wrong. The effects, which are the finest mix of practical and visual, look impressive every time they are introduced. At first, Spring can be confusing. I wasn’t sure if Louise was a vampire or a werewolf and it is actually Evan who says it best, ‘Are you a vampire, werewolf, zombie, witch, or alien?’ Without spoiling too much, I do want to say that Louise is actually all of those things wrapped into one, plus more. You’ll have to watch the film to get the full rundown on exactly what I mean by this, but you should be watching this film regardless… trust me!
It is clear to me that the team of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson is a true powerhouse. These guys are able to take an indie budget and make something truly amazing without skipping a beat. I have now watched and thoroughly enjoyed both of their feature films, so I can only imagine how great their next project will be. I’m sure it won’t be coming to fruition any time soon, but I know I will be one of its number one supporters when it does happen.
If you love originality in your sci-fi and horror films, Spring is definitely the one for you. You can purchase a copy on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital from Drafthouse Films, Filmbuff, and Anchor Bay today!
I give this film 5 dead languages out of 5.