There is a moment in “Mystery
Spot,” Ben Eastman’s smoothly intriguing new short film (which premieres at the
Fifth Avenue Cinema on Saturday) in which two young guys park their bright blue
car by the side of a desert road. There’s
nothing there, save for a hulking, motionless man standing by a sign that reads
“Mystery Spot.” Which begs the question—are
we simply witnessing an odd encounter? Or
a prelude to the second (or rather, the zillionth) coming of “The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre”?
To say
anything more would dilute the film’s climactic turnabout. It might also diminish the experience of
watching “Mystery Spot” for the first time.
Which would be a shame, because Mr. Eastman has made something
impressive—an elegantly staged and grippingly strange work that ensnares you with
its clean imagery and throbbing guitar score.
“Mystery Spot” begins with the aforementioned youngsters
driving. The first guy begins by
admonishing the other for sticking his feet on the dashboard…yet soon, he’s
listening while his friend tells him a wistful, profanely melancholy anecdote
about a high school dance, a girl, and a station wagon.
That sequence
is the finest fixture of “Mystery Spot”—Mr. Eastman’s eye for the delicate details
of shadows, heads, and feet make this ordinary conversation poetic, as well as
meaningful. In fact, so seamless is his
feel for everyday chatter that it’s a little disappointing when the tranquil
mood is shattered by the sinister suspense promised by the titular sign by the
road.
Still, the moody and the menacing are an intrinsic part
of the appeal of “Mystery Spot.” And as
a creepy yet poignant close-up of a man’s eye reveals in the movie’s final
scene, the combination of both danger and humanity is a crucial part of Mr.
Eastman’s direction—the way he leads you into a series of events that seems
casual, then punctures them brutal force.
"Mystery Spot" premieres Saturday, January 24th at the Fifth Avenue Cinema, at 8:00 pm
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