Prevenge (2016)

Prevenge. Very very dark comedy written, directed and starring Alice Lowe (better known as the female murderer in Sightseers). This time she plays a pregnant woman who's unborn child apparently demands that she murders people the foetus feels is responsible for her would-be father's untimely death. Had us laughing and repulsed in equal measure. A brilliantly original 8 out of ten.

Fmovies: Someone needs to let Alice Lowe (writer, director and star) make more films because this, her debut as director, is a corker. As black as they come, this dark comedy's premise is novel and it isn't great viewing for any male, adding to the discomfort.

I loved it but after 3 viewings I'm still a bit confused by the ending.

My spoiler free review for The Bloody Asylum that can be found at WordPress, Mr Geeky blog:

This is the superb debut feature film from first time director Alice Lowe, co-writer and star of Ben Wheatley's Sightseers. Most will recognize her from her most recent role in the Netflix interactive feature film "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch". Not only did she write and direct Prevenge but she also played the lead character when, believe it or not, she was 8 months pregnant.

This is without a doubt a film that most women who have been through pregnancy and child birth will relate to, although hopefully not the killing aspect!

A multi-layered film that feels different on a second viewing, far more sad and melancholic than the black comedy it felt first time around. Knowing what is to unfold Alice Lowe's beautifully nuanced performance can be appreciated far more, adding to the depth. An actor who can say more with a look or expression than with long monologues.

A film that can be viewed several different ways depending on what the individual wants to take from it. There is a perfect balance of the serious and comedic aspects with some genuinely disturbing moments. Fans of the slasher genre, which in some aspects this is, will definitely not be disappointed with the very inventive set pieces and kills, with one bringing to mind Dario Argento.

Alice Lowe is supported by a brilliant cast of some of the best actors in the UK including Kate Dickie (Red Road, Prometheus) Jo Hartley (This is England, Inbred), Kayvan Novak (Four Lions), and Dan Renton Skinner (The Ghoul), to name but a few. However it is without a doubt her film, the focus of the film being entirely from her character's point of view. An almost character study that at times brings to mind Taxi Driver, with Alice Lowe in some aspects of her performance bringing an almost Robert DeNiro like intensity to her portrayal of a woman who is being told to kill by her unborn baby's voice in her head. There is a perfect melding together of sound music and visuals (recalling at times Bladerunner) that brilliantly puts the audience in the mind of the character and perfectly reflects her psyche. One standout sequence involved Alice Lowe and the crew filming and interacting with the people on the streets on Halloween night, with among one of the bests shots in the entire film being totally improvised.

A revenge film unlike any other that beautifully and very realistically deals with loss and trying to come to terms with it, but most of all how pregnancy psychologically affects a woman.

For those looking for something different within the horror genre, with more depth than it may appear to have, it is very highly recommended.

Prevenge fmovies. We all know that pregnant women are supposed to get strange cravings. Most of the time these are usually nothing more than for the odd toastie in the middle of the night with perhaps a disgusting filling or two. Ruth's cravings, on the other hand, are a good deal darker. Egged on by the voice of her unborn baby girl Ruth gets a craving to kill people and it would seem with justification since all of her victims were, in some way, responsible for the death of her baby's father.

"Prevenge", in case you hadn't guessed it, is a comedy and a very black one. It was written and directed by the multi-talented Alice Lowe who, up until now, was better known as the female half of the team that brought you "Sightseers". She also plays Ruth, and plays her superbly, and her victims are made up of a host of outstanding British character players, including the monstrously underused Kate Dickie. Naturally, this isn't a film that will appeal to everyone, (I think pregnant mothers should stay well clear), but if you have the same very sick sense of humour that I do then seek it out; you certainly won't regret it.

Written by, directed by, and starring Alice Lowe (of Brit black comedy Sightseers), Prevenge follows heavily pregnant woman Ruth (Lowe, who was actually with child at the time) as she takes revenge on those responsible for the death of her partner, urged on in her killing spree by her unborn baby (who she can hear talking to her).

Clearly Ruth isn't firing on all cylinders, which results in plenty of extremely dark humour, the sort we Brits do so well, but with the lady suffering from mental illness/severe depression as a result of her loss, the film is also incredibly poignant—funny but sad—Ruth not receiving the professional help she so desperately needs to deal with her grief.

In addition to Lowe's accomplished direction, sharp writing and excellent central performance, Prevenge also benefits from several wonderfully drawn supporting characters, including Tom Davis's misogynistic DJ Dan (who gets his balls cut off for being such a sleazebag!), a well-meaning but condescending midwife (Jo Hartley), and corporate bitch Ella (Kate Dickie), who interviews Ruth for a job that she has no intention of giving her.

How much you enjoy Prevenge will depend a lot on how warped your sense of humour is, but if you have seen Alice in Sightseers, use that as a yardstick: if you appreciated her witty, dead pan performance in that film, then you'll probably have a good time with this one too.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

There's some fun to be had here with this dark comedy. A pregnant woman goes on a murdering spree on the people involved in her unborn child's father's climbing death. A movie like this could have been completely unwatchable so I appreciate that they got the tone just right. The child speaks to her from the womb but it never gets completely goofy. The violence she commits is brutal and bloody and it doesn't attempt to trivialize or justify their deaths.

Despite that, there is entertainment to be had as the more she kills the more unhinged she becomes. At times it's an almost playful performance from Alice Lowe who also wrote and directed it. Overall a respectable movie. Nicely shot considering it was done in under 2 weeks.