X
2022 · Directed by Ti West
Original language: English
- horror
The story
In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
What it’s like
Grainy 16mm-style texture and sun-bleached Texas daylight give way to hard, dim interiors lit by lamps and flashlight beams, with a dusty, washed-out palette of tan, rust and faded denim. Ti West frames in a patient, unhurried way, letting handheld camerawork hover close to nervous faces before cutting to wide, empty farmland under a huge sky. The sound design leans on rural quiet (wind, insects, distant engines) punctured by a sudden, jarring score and sharp, ugly bursts of violence. Vibe: sweaty, sun-scorched dread with a streak of dark humour, the kind of film best watched late at night with the lights down. It is decidedly not gentle: the violence is frequent, bloody and graphic, with gore and a few explicit sexual scenes central to the story, and the cruelty lands hard. Its characters are young, reckless and eager, and the arc is a slow turn from giddy bravado to desperate survival. It suits viewers who want slasher tension with period texture and a sly, mean-spirited edge, not anyone looking for something soft.
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