The Devil's Bargain (2014)
Directed by: Drew Cullingham
Written by: Drew Cullingham, Ian Manson
Starring: Chloe Farnworth, Dan Burman, Jonnie Hurn
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwR8eYxubAY[/youtube]
Running Time: 77 mins
Reviewer: David Gillespie – HCF Official Artist
With the success of last year’s hallucinogenic delight, A Field in England comes another British drama ironically situated in a field in England. Drew Cullingham’s ‘Full-Frontal Apocalypse’ called The Devil’s Bargain shares the nightmarish visuals of Wheatley’s work and is equally as challenging and satisfying a movie. There are also copious amounts of flesh on display.
The opening scene involves the death of a child, as his parents lie stoned out of their skulls. The year is 1974, a drawl Scottish narrator informs of the impending destruction of the planet earth by an asteroid named Genesis. The two hippie parents of the aforementioned child, Adi (Jonnie Hurn) and Angi (a stunning Chloe Farnworth) choose to return to the field where their son perished all those years ago and spend their last hours to bury the past. It is an idyllic setting if it weren’t for the crippling guilt felt by Adi and the voyeuristic photographer that seems to be taking a keen interest in the couple and their sexual exploits.
When Adi confronts the stranger he reveals himself as Luca (Dan Furman). He plans to document Armageddon and wants to use the couple as his subjects. Adi is disgusted and refuses where as Chloe appears to be intrigued and warns Adi that they mustn’t refuse anyone the right to be with someone before it all ends. While Luca continues to irritate Adi, Chloe becomes attracted to the mysterious male. Yet the charismatic photographer seems to know a little too much personal information regards them both to be a stranger. Is he a past lover of Chloe, a figment of Adi’s imagination or the devil himself? It seems things are going to get a little heated in the final moments.
After the unsettling opening scene filmed in a silent, home video format, much of the first quarter of The Devil’s Harvest focuses on the fragile bond between the couple. This section has an improvised feel and it works perfectly. It is clear from the offset that Adi never quite recovered from his son’s death and it has affected his work as an artist and the spark that lit up with his marriage. Chloe is still grieving also. Not just for her son but for her husband too. He is not the man he once was. When Luca arrives it may be his energy or the similarities to the husband that she once knew. Cullingham does a fine job of not only introducing the characters but also experimenting with unconventional camera shots and exaggerated, disorientating colours. We also have the stoned and occasionally incoherent waffling of the Scottish narrator who will either amuse or antagonize the viewer. It is during the half way point that things get really interesting when Luca’s cruel intentions become apparent that the film steps up a gear.
As mentioned earlier, there is plenty of sex and flesh on offer during the short running time. All three members of the love triangle have their assets on full frontal display. The movie features some of the bravest performances you’re likely to see in 2014. Farnworth comes across strongest with her portrayal of a damaged woman, full of pent up emotion and sexual frustration. Burman is also impressive as the playful but sinister villain.
There are numerous references to Adam and Eve mythology with forbidden fruit and serpent imagery on display throughout the story. In one scene Luca offers an apple to the couple. Adi refuses but Chloe is all too willing to indulge in the fruit even though she knows it does not agree with her.
The Devil’s Bargain is a brave, experimental feature that could well have been a disaster given the budget constraints and challenges for its cast. Cullingham delivers a bold, heartbreaking and powerful account of loss, jealousy and resentment. The final moments are tragic, satisfying and deliberately open to interpretation. It is by no means an easy 77-minute experience but an infinitely rewarding one.
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