Shot documentary-style to give the movie that homemade amateur videomaking "reality"(which by now is either loved or loathed), MEADOWOODS follows three bored college friends (two guys and a girl) that decide to kill someone for no other reason than they're "bored" and want to put the lame little town they grew up and feel stuck in "on the map." The three students are kind of "analyzed through their environment" in the first portion of the extremely loose narrative and we get the impression that they come from upper middle class environments where parental guidance and attention was not given at all. Perhaps this is the generation of kids that got "talked to like an adult" when they did something bad as opposed to being spanked or properly disciplined. So now we get to see how that Doctor Phil advice finally worked out... The three teens have never experienced real death or loss in their lives and obviously have no religious faith or concepts to draw upon, especially when they discuss among themselves what happens to the soul after someone dies. They pretty much conclude that "no one knows." (It's pretty hard to suspend disbelief that there's a small MidWest town without churches every city block, though!) So to kind of experience death in some way and feel an "adrenaline rush or something" (as one of the trio puts it), they pick a random female classmate for their victim, interview her to get some background on her life before they take it, and then bury her in a homemade coffin (complete with video cameras and lights) in the ground to watch her slowly asphyxiate. So there you have it. The trio put the victim in the box, ask her questions about her predicament ("how does it feel?") and the poor gal in the box screams, kicks, and begs to be let out. Of course, one member of the teen psychos feels guilty and decides this whole thing ain't such a good idea after all and tries to save the victim and there's a twist or two from there...And the end credits roll! Actors didn't do a bad job in this small indie production, especially Ila Schactler as the victim. She came across genuiune and believable throughout, especially in the confining coffin scenes. This flick isn't "fun" at all in the tradition of escapism horror, it actually leaves you with the bleak and depressing feeling at the end that there's very little hope...or point...in humanity, so if you're looking for dark, brooding material where there is no hope, this flick might be right up your alley. Those that are manic depressive or looking for a popcorn flick are strongly advised to steer clear of this one. It definitely has teeth and leaves an impression.
Shot documentary-style to give the movie that homemade amateur videomaking "reality"(which by now is either loved or loathed), MEADOWOODS follows three bored college friends (two guys and a girl) that decide to kill someone for no other reason than they're "bored" and want to put the lame little town they grew up and feel stuck in "on the map." The three students are kind of "analyzed through their environment" in the first portion of the extremely loose narrative and we get the impression that they come from upper middle class environments where parental guidance and attention was not given at all. Perhaps this is the generation of kids that got "talked to like an adult" when they did something bad as opposed to being spanked or properly disciplined. So now we get to see how that Doctor Phil advice finally worked out... The three teens have never experienced real death or loss in their lives and obviously have no religious faith or concepts to draw upon, especially when they discuss among themselves what happens to the soul after someone dies. They pretty much conclude that "no one knows." (It's pretty hard to suspend disbelief that there's a small MidWest town without churches every city block, though!) So to kind of experience death in some way and feel an "adrenaline rush or something" (as one of the trio puts it), they pick a random female classmate for their victim, interview her to get some background on her life before they take it, and then bury her in a homemade coffin (complete with video cameras and lights) in the ground to watch her slowly asphyxiate. So there you have it. The trio put the victim in the box, ask her questions about her predicament ("how does it feel?") and the poor gal in the box screams, kicks, and begs to be let out. Of course, one member of the teen psychos feels guilty and decides this whole thing ain't such a good idea after all and tries to save the victim and there's a twist or two from there...And the end credits roll! Actors didn't do a bad job in this small indie production, especially Ila Schactler as the victim. She came across genuiune and believable throughout, especially in the confining coffin scenes. This flick isn't "fun" at all in the tradition of escapism horror, it actually leaves you with the bleak and depressing feeling at the end that there's very little hope...or point...in humanity, so if you're looking for dark, brooding material where there is no hope, this flick might be right up your alley. Those that are manic depressive or looking for a popcorn flick are strongly advised to steer clear of this one. It definitely has teeth and leaves an impression.
