The Gathering (2003)

The Gathering (2003) This film is good fun. It even manages to give you the creeps from time to time, although there aren’t really any ultra-shocking moments. The atmosphere is very well constructed and the ending is quite surprising. It can be seen from several points of view. You can say to yourself that the film starts well and also has some cinematic content, but that the suspense diminishes in the second half and that the ending is bad and cheap, that it’s entertaining, certainly, but that you need more to make a good film.

Personally, I find it relatively exciting and, for once, a slightly different story, although some people have said that it descends into pitiful discussions as this quick little review proves: “The first quarter of an hour promises an entertaining thriller. Unfortunately, the film gets bogged down in the lowest level of blah, so much so that I regret every minute I wasted on this little film.”

I’ve seen plenty of negative reviews, whereas I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. Very artistic, even poetic. I highly recommend it, as it’s highly recommendable ;-D. So I can understand people saying that it starts off rather well, but then drags on rather painfully. But on the whole, it’s quite well done. In its own way, the film has a certain charm and captivates.

In fact, it’s intelligent cinema, far removed from mainstream teen horror. Fans of horror should definitely check it out. It’s certainly not a film for fanatics of gore or extreme violence. The theme is disturbing. At first you might think you’re in a bad B-movie, but then the fascinating main theme (the desire to see) is carefully developed and pushed to its frightening climax. Even if it’s not all perfect, it’s a coherent mystery.

Christina Ricci, ultra-natural, really did a good job. For once I don’t see her in a weird or sexual role. I loved her here. Apparently the sex scene has been removed or censored in some versions. It’s a shame, because it’s really beautiful and not vulgar. It’s rare to see two people who love each other making love. In general, we tend to see sexual performances that are very far from reality, that are just aesthetically pleasing for the camera.

Kerry Fox is an actress I didn’t know, or rather didn’t think I knew. I saw her very recently and I didn’t know she was there twenty-five years ago. Indeed, I’d completely forgotten that she was in Shallow Grave, which is a film I love, but which I only remember the excellent Ewan Mcgregor in. For her role as Claire in Intimacy (2001), directed by Patrice Chéreau, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. In this film, she performs real, not simulated, fellatio. Her husband, Alexander Linklater, wrote about his experience of seeing her perform this act on another man. We don’t see much of her in this film, but it’s a nice surprise.

As for Ioan Gruffudd, he’s another actor I’ve seen in Titanic (1997) and King Arthur (2004), but it was mainly when he came to public attention thanks to his portrayal of Mr Fantastic aka the Elastic Man in the blockbusters Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer (2007) that he made an impression on me. I haven’t yet seen The Fall of the Black Hawk (2001) or Amazing Grace (2006). He is also the lead actor in the great series Forever. Here he has one of the leading roles, and he’s always a pleasure to watch. The French title of this film is “Les Témoins”, which means “The Witnesses”. And in case there are any similarities with Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Crowd“.

My Rating