Where does one start with a movie like this? Hours after seeing it for the first time, thinking about it now still gives me chills. An Irish low budget indie horror movie which could easily be swept under the carpet among bigger budget, more financially backed movies, if it weren’t so darn impressive.”
Directed and produced by Shaun Ryan, with Kevin Minogue as producer, Limp. stars the very talented Eoin Quinn of Fair City and Hit Producer fame as the lead character, a troubled and lonely office worker who murders a woman and keeps her decaying corpse as a housemate, a housemate he clothes, watches television with, dines with and more… Much more… The killer, challenged by everyday life and a local thug intent on causing him injury, believes his victim’s lifeless body is actually alive and in love with him, but as he continues on his path of insanity, he slowly starts to realise that his companion may not be as lively as he had convinced himself she was, and it leaves him with a choice he never thought he’d have to make.
Eoin turns in a performance of such magnitude and insanity that after the first 15 minutes, even if you were his best friend, you would look at him in a totally different light. He puts his all into the role and brings a creepy intensity but a real balance of subtlety to the character, Mr. Grot, never attempting to overact, but instead focusing on every point of who he’s playing and capturing that sense of everyday man turned horrific killer, his effort is mammoth and his talent here must be recognised, he easily gives one of the best performances you’ll see in a movie of this type.
The remaining cast all perform well, but aside from Eoin, focus is on Anne Gill, the actress given the impossible job of playing a dead body (Along with scenes of her character, Catherine, alive in flashbacks and Grot’s imaginations), and she does so incredibly well. I literally stared at her through the entire movie, just hoping to catch the slightest movement, breath or blink, but not once did she flinch, not for a second, not so much as a toe. And for that, some of the best acting i’ve ever seen, an impossible feat mastered with patience and talent.
The direction and shooting from Shaun Ryan and the movie’s crew is extremely well done, balancing the moments of horror, shock and beauty (There are some really beautiful shots in the movie, despite it’s subject, including a wonderful sunrise) without missing a beat. The Psycho-esque shots of changing colours and showing the world through Grot’s eyes add so much power to the story, sucking you into his world that much more, leaving you feeling uneasy and part of something so horrible that you can’t move away from the screen. Again, some Irish movies could easily mess this up and try to be over the top, but Ryan keeps things on par with the story and never tries to overthink things. A terrific piece of directing.
And last but certainly not least, the musical score by Chris Zabriskie is absolutely fantastic, a perfect blend of haunting and beautiful, swapping between light and dark with complete grace. Watching the movie first time, the music stands out instantly from the opening and helps suck you into the world of Grot and his bizzare life. A score i would buy for certain.
The negatives, if i’m fit to judge something so many people have put so much effort and talent into, would be the short running time and lack of certain plot elements. I feel a running total of one hour just doesn’t seem enough time for such a work as this, especially with aspects of storyline just waiting to be placed into it, such as how Grot killed this woman, where he killed her and why he chose her at all. But having said that, sometimes not everything needs to be explained, and perhaps not knowing these things helps this movie to keep it’s sense of mystery, so to some, they may rather not know everything and just be thrown into something head first.
To sum it up, Limp. is a macabre, nasty little movie, stunningly made, impossible to turn away from and brimming with acting talent and filmmaking genius the likes we rarely get to see in horror movies these days. Definitely one to watch, but be sure to watch it with a living person. A big 5 stars.
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