SXSW Review: Little Deaths

Little Deaths is playing SXSW as part of its SXFantastic genre film series. It's a UK anthology of three stories connected by themes of sex (often kinky) and death (often disturbing).

In "House and Home," a couple with the enthusiasm of religious missionaries and an inability to find sexual satisfaction in each other do find that satisfaction by preying on society's unfortunates. They may have bitten off too much, however, with their latest victim. This story felt a bit simplisitic, and lacked the foreshadowing necessary to deliver satisfying payoff from the turns. Caution: while the entire film is infused with sex and horror, this particular short had scenes of sexual violence that might be difficult for some.

In "Mutant Tool," a deranged doctor discovers a wonder drug that can be manufactured from the secretions harvested from unfortunate human subjects. More specifically, secretions from the "tool" (heh heh heh, he said "tool") of the victims. This episode raised the complexity level, but not necessarily successfully so. It's got a pimp, a pusher, a prostitute, bad human organ juju (taking, receiving, and consuming), a mad doctor, and laboratory victims. Oh, and weird psycho-mystical-bonding experiences. Coherence problems hampered the big payoff on this piece.

While the earlier stories had some misfires, with the final piece "Bitch" the film came roaring alive on all cylinders. Claire and Pete have a BDSM relationship that involves heavy animal roleplay fetish. He's the dog, and she's the bitch. She's not using her power well in the relationship, and may be losing control of her bad doggie. This piece may have been the least explicit in its visual horror, but ended up delivering one hell of a disturbing sucker punch. Music is well used to build the surreality towards the climax, ending in a scene of complete devastation -- one character physically devastated, the other emotionally so. "Bitch" is directed by Simon Rumley, who brought the Austin-shot Red White & Blue to SXSW last year.

I saw the 11:30 pm show, and here it is 4:30 am the next morning and I still can't get to sleep. (Which double sucks, because it's actually 5:30 am, thank you very much Daylight Saving Time.)

Little Deaths screens one more time during SXSW, as the midnight show on Wednesday, March 15 at Alamo South Lamar.