Dinner Movie 5: Hors d’oeuvre (2019)
Director: Aleksandra Svetlichnaya
Writers: Aleksandra Svetlichnaya
Stars: Aleksandra Svetlichnaya, Mariela Castillo, Sarah Megan Maltz, Victoria Stevens, Jackie DiFerdinado
During a road trip three girlfriends find themselves stranded in a strange town where no one utters a word. With the other two asleep Dylan (Aleksandra Svetlichnaya) decides to investigate the town, but when she learns that the town is cursed, she realises that they are all in danger. Returning to her friends they are suddenly faced with the monster haunting the town and must find some way to use their collective powers to finally stop the monster!
The multifaceted filmmaker Aleksandra Svetlichnaya returns with the fifth film in her Dinnerverse series, which she describes as A Quiet Place (2018) meets the #TimesUp movement. A description which gives you a good indication of what you can expect from the story and the films underlying theme.
At a little over six minutes Hors d’oeuvre is described as a bite sized micro budget film, but with its skilled and unique delivery is possibly the most creative in delivering the films message. Enforcing the films themes, Hors d’oeuvre was filmed with an all-female cast and crew, who used vintage cameras and 16mm film to give the film a more naturally aged look as a homage to the silent era.
The silent movie style of the film was a surprise at first, as it delivers a very different theme to what you would normally expect form the DINNERVERSE series, even though Alek is used to giving us a unique twist to each film. More than just a different style, it works brilliantly with the overall theme of the story, surprisingly adding to the intrigue and suspense. Even more importantly it cleverly helps to project the message without words or feeling a need to spoon feed the audience.
A lot of the trademarks which are using associated with the series have been removed in Hors d’oeuvre. From the main trio of characters only Dylan remains, obviously being an all-female cast both Joshua Kachnycz as Oscar and Ricardo Segarra as Hamilton are unsuitable for the latest entry. With them gone the film takes a more serious tone, which actually works better for the theme of the film. There is some more subtle humor using the intertitles, but the goofier slapstick comedy we have come to expect has been removed. With that being said, Dylan’s companions Sarina (Sarah Megan Maltz) and Jennifer (Mariela Castillo) do offer some comical relief, where unknowingly their courteous actions lead them into trouble.
One of the visual elements I loved about the film was the way it tries to recapture the style of the silent movies with both the shots and editing. The jumpy editing when one of the towns women is trying to warn Dylan is one of the pivotal moments in the film that stand out – although I also loved the various shots which capture the girls in peril as they try to escape. Some of these shots remind me of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) with the monster always seeming to be a few steps behind.
There are several understated elements in the film which brilliantly incorporate the vintage look of the film, and the soft colourisation from editor and colourist Haley Monson works perfectly for the film. The subtlety in the colour masking the transition, as it gradually fades to black and white when Dylan and her friends find themselves in danger. The change itself is subtle and hardly noticeable amongst the action, but it creates quite an impact when the colour suddenly bursts back onto the screen later in the film.
As a silent film the soundtrack composed by Ciara Proznik is the emotional driving force for the story. The orchestral tone constantly guides the audience as it moves away from initial serene sounds, before gradually building on the melancholier and more deliberate horror tones, as it continuously evolves to reflect the tense emotions in the scene.
Hors d’oeuvre is stripped back with both the visual execution and overall story, utilising the silent film theme brilliant to convey the message which Aleksandra wants to put across. Incorporating the message of an all-female cast and a brilliantly creative story to reference #TimesUP movement, it is intelligent film making which asks the viewer to read between the lines. I think it is a brave decision, because I don’t think that the silent movie styling will appeal to everyone and it is a change from a familiar formula which has worked so well. However for me, although it is not the most action packed or complex, the concept and overall execution of Hors d’oeuvre is Aleksandra Svetlichnaya’s most accomplished film in the series so far.
You can keep up to date with future projects from Aleksandra Svetlichnaya and the DINNERVERSE on the following websites and social media pages:
DINNERVERSE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dinnerverse/DINNERVERSE Website: https://svetstudios.wixsite.com/dinnerverse
Aleksandra’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AleksandraSvetOfficial/
Aleksandra’s Website: http://aleksandrasvet.wixsite.com/aleksandrasvet
Film Review Dinner Movie 5: Hors d'oeuvre
Movie title: Dinner Movie 5: Hors d'oeuvre
Movie description: During a road trip three girlfriends find themselves stranded in a strange town where no one will utter a word. They soon learn that the town is cursed, and they must use their collective power to stop the monster haunting it.
Director(s): Aleksandra Svetlichnaya
Actor(s): Aleksandra Svetlichnaya
Genre: Horror, Drama
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
