Wounds
Reviews
Sheldon Nylander
This is what happens when filmmakers are more fascinated by imagery and concept but don't know how to couch them in a story. Armie Hammer is Will, a bartender in a New Orleans bar who witnesses a fight break out one night while some college kids are in the bar (seemingly unrelated). The kids leave behind one of their phones, which contains disturbing images. All the while, his girlfriend Carrie, played by Dakota Johnson, seems to be studying occult Gnosticism, which seems to be related to what the college kids are involved in. If you're looking for any kind of payoff in this film, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Literally, this film has no payoff. It’s more just a bunch of stuff that happens and then, BAM!, end credits. There are times that it seems like it’s going somewhere. In fact, it felt like there should have been much more interrelated stuff between different parts of the movie, such as Claire’s professor, Steve, being more developed. In fact, I definitely get the impression that this was supposed to be the case, but that it either ended up on the cutting room floor or remained concept-only. It’s possible that this happens in “The Visible Filth,” the short novel on which this movie is based, but since I haven’t read it I can’t comment on it. The film we get is not a good film, either. The acting alternates between melodramatic and completely emotionless with no inbetween. Seriously, Brad William Henke is so over-the-top, he makes Jeremy Irons look like he was on Xanax during the “Dungeons & Dragons” movie. Dakota Johnson just sleepwalks through her entire role. Armie Hammer feels like he tries a little too hard to be the everyman. The only actor that seemed believable with genuine subtlety in their role is Zazie Beetz, but her character is pretty much superfluous to the proceedings. Her character could have been cut with little to no change to the plot. What’s so terrible about this film, though, is the sheer frustration factor. It’s a great idea. I would have loved to see more and have the movie cleaned up to be more cohesive and have an actual payoff. But we’re denied all of this. I love the concept of basing a film around occult Gnosticism. However, it’s set in such a poor movie that by the end, I found myself wringing my hands less out of fear or feelings of bugs crawling on you (which you might get) and more out of frustration for failure to realize its potential and seeing very easily how it could have been saved. When you’re doing the filmmakers work for them, they’ve got a problem.
Gimly
Millenial Armie Hammer, calls a group of Gen Z-ers, "Fucking Millenials". I was **really** disappointed with _Wounds_. Not about the above, just like... In general. _Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible._
The Movie Diorama
Wounds adds salt to the horrific lacerations by simply doing nothing with its premise. Metaphysical tears in a relationship, ‘The Visible Filth’, can deteriorate the mind and the soul of both individuals. The streams of sorrow and regret, taking control of thoughts and actions. An unfortunate circumstance that is experienced by the most enraptured of couples. So I’m somewhat confused. No wait, I’m terribly befuddled. Anvari previously directed an apparent debut horror masterpiece with ‘Under the Shadow’ (I’ve yet to see it...), and decided to venture into the Hollywood mainstream with this psychological mess. Only one question overwhelmed my brain during the final cockroach-infested scene: “What. In the actual. Heck?”. A bartender breaks up a brawl and picks up a lost mobile phone that was left by some underaged students. He happens to guess the password on his second attempt based on the screen smudges and slowly becomes possessed by something from the “tunnel”. The titular metaphor is one that requires little to no effort in depicting. Wounds in a relationship force the participants to become distant and more aggressive. That much is clear, and Anvari sets a melodramatic tone from the initial bar sequence that overpowers the “horror” elements. Then Hammer grabs the mobile phone, tests its durability by slamming it a decent six times throughout the film, and thus begins the narrative collapse. Irrefutably, without batting an eyelid, I can confidently say nothing happened in this feature. Absolutely zero progression. The final minute of filming replicated the initial minute in terms of development. Every single character was unlikeable. Every single jump scare was a bloodshot eye flashing on the screen in rapid succession accompanied by a piercing noise. The plot is near incomprehensible due to forced underdeveloped horror elements that had no resonation with the melodramatic moments. Gnostic rituals? Dimensional portal from a well-rounded man’s face? Profusely sweaty armpits? Thematically and literarily, the plot is nullified by unintelligent tendencies that irritate this wounded flick. Such a stellar cast wasted on a potboiler script. Hammer deserves better. Beetz deserves better. Johnson definitely deserves better. I’m at a loss. I really am. The inexplicable character choices, from refusing to hand the phone to the police to even unlocking the device in the first place, left me facepalming on multiple occasions. Oh, and serving underaged persons. Come on! The plot conveniences that make little to no sense, from the unexplained students in this cultish circle to the entire final five minute idiocy, hampered the psychological examination of a broken relationship. Is anything actually explained? I shan’t know as I drifted in and out of sleep for the conclusive thirty minutes. The amount of alcohol consumption? Adultery? Stealing? There really is nothing to admire here. A huge misfire for Anvari that has cemented this VOD original securely as one of the worst of the year. It was over an hour and a half yet it felt like three hours. That, in itself, has wounded me. The recovery will be long and arduous...
tmdb15214618
This is trash horror done really well. If you're looking for something meaningful, you're looking in the wrong place, but it's got some laudable artistry behind it.
GeekyRedhead
I expected more considering the cast. This was disappointing to a disturbing level. The movie drags on and ON, alluding to something vague and undefined that's really scary and seemingly about to happen. Sadly, it never does. And if you, like myself, and squeamish about bugs, huge cockroaches specifically, do not watch this film. Seriously, avoid it at all costs!
Movie Recommendation
Veronica2017-08-14A female Psychologist who has stopped practicing medicine, decides to take the case of Veronica de la Serna, a young woman whose previous therapist has mysteriously disappeared.More...
I Am Patrick Swayze2019-08-18An inside look at the life of Patrick Swayze as told by the people who knew him best.More...
Aquarela2018-09-29From massive waves to melting ice, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky travels around the world to capture stunning images of the beauty and raw power of water.More...
Forbidden Siren2006-02-11A writer moves to a remote island with his daughter and young son. After settling into their new home, a neighbor arrives to welcome them and give them a breakdown of the local rules; most important: do not go outside when the island's siren starts wailing.More...
My Husband's Double Life2018-08-18A married woman discovers her husband is living a double life in Paris, jeopardizing not only her marriage but her life.More...
Love for Sale 22019-10-31Exhausted with his mother's failed attempts at setting him up with women, Ican hires an ideal partner from a matchmaking app.More...
As Luck Would Have It2002-12-20Jean-Pierre is a literature professor in Switzerland. Due to the vagarities of Swiss law, he is selected, basically at random, to be the guardian of a parentless teenage boy named Antoine. Conflict comes into the story as Jean-Pierre, who has just accepted a major promotion, must now deal with caring for a teenage boy he doesn't want to care for, as well as handling his own jealous boyfriend. Then his wife steps into the picture. Things get complicated from there as Jean-Pierre tries to get out of his guardianship.More...
Deep In The Wood2015-11-19When young Tommi goes missing during a festival in the Dolomites in 2010, his parents are devastated. Five years later, a boy is found with no name or records; DNA tests prove it is Tommi. But while Tommi's father Manuel welcomes him back with open arms, his mother Linda is not convinced that it is her son. Suspicion and superstition permeate the pores of this eerie mystery thriller.More...
Bad Day for the Cut2017-10-20A middle-aged Irish farmer, who still lives at home with his mother, sets off on a mission of revenge when the old lady is murdered.More...
Family Blood2018-03-16Ellie, a recovering drug addict, has just moved to a new city with her two teenage children. She has struggled to stay sober in the past and is determined to make it work this time, finding a stable job and regularly attending her meetings. Unfortunately, new friends, a new job, and the chance of a new life, can’t keep Ellie from slipping once again. Her life changes when she meets Christopher – a different kind of addict – which forces her daughter and son to accept a new version of Ellie.More...
Out in the Open2019-11-22A boy escaped from home, listening, crouched in the depths of his hiding place, the cries of the men who seek him. When the game passes, what remains before him is an infinite and arid plain that he must cross if he wants to get away definitively from what has made him flee. His steps will intersect with those of a pastor and, from that moment, nothing will be the same for either of them.More...
Earthquake Bird2019-11-01Tokyo, Japan, 1989. Lucy Fly, a foreigner who works as a translator, begins a passionate relationship with Teiji, a mysterious man obsessed with photography.More...
82020-03-13An old man, fated to collect souls for eternity, seeks atonement after trading his daughter's soul.More...
Rattlesnake2019-10-25After a mysterious woman saves her daughter from a deadly snakebite, a single mother must repay the debt by killing a stranger before sundown.More...
Daniel Isn't Real2019-12-06A troubled college freshman resurrects his imaginary friend to help him cope with a violent trauma.More...
The Final Wish2019-01-24Following the passing of his father, Aaron Hammond returns to his hometown to help his devastated mother and to confront his past demons. Sifting through his father’s belongings, Aaron comes upon a mysterious item that is far more than it seems.More...
Eli2019-10-18A boy named Eli with a rare autoimmune disorder is confined to a special experimental clinic for his treatment. He soon begins experiencing supernatural forces, turning the supposedly safe facility into a haunted prison for him and his fellow patients.More...
Flirting Scholar1993-07-01A scholar in search of true love. Disguising himself as a houseboy, he indentures himself to a rich family in order to pursue the ravishing servant girl who has stolen his heart.More...
The Influence2019-06-21After moving back to her family home to care for her dying mother, a nurse haunted by her childhood memories must struggle with an evil force in the house.More...
A Dark Place2018-10-07When a young boy turns up dead in a sleepy Pennsylvania town, a local sanitation truck driver, Donald, plays detective, embarking on a precarious and obsessive investigation to prove the boy was murdered.More...
Similar Movies
Rashomon
1950-08-26Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.Constantine
2005-02-08John Constantine has literally been to Hell and back. When he teams up with a policewoman to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.The Birds
1963-03-28Thousands of birds flock into a seaside town and terrorize the residents in a series of deadly attacks.Silent Hill
2006-04-21Rose, a desperate mother takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to get her back, and begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.Solaris
1972-03-20A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.The Ninth Gate
1999-08-25A rare book dealer finds himself at the heart of a string of paranormal events when he is hired to find the last two copies of a text, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, capable of summoning the Devil.Lost Highway
1997-01-15A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgängers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.The Omen
2006-06-06A diplomatic couple adopts the son of the devil without knowing it. A remake of the classic horror film of the same name from 1976.Videodrome
1983-02-04As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.Abominable
2006-04-10A man, crippled in an accident, returns to the woods after rehabilitation, certain that he'll not see Bigfoot again.Devil's Harvest
2003-01-01It seems innocent enough. Struggling young artist Daniel King is invited by his childhood friend Natasha...Evil Bong
2006-10-31Straight-laced nerd Alistair moves into a college dorm with hardcore marijuana users, who order an old giant bong that proves to have strange magical powers, which sends people to a bizarre drugged-out alternate realm from which there is no easy escape.Downrange
2018-05-25Stranded at the side of the road after a tire blowout, a group of friends become targets for an enigmatic sniper.Archangel Thunderbird...
1998-05-29A bizarre live-action/stop motion hybrid television film following Dr. Churchill and his resistance force's last desperate attempt to stop an invading army of ancient extra-terrestrial demons.Bless the Child
2000-08-11When Maggie's sister Jenna saddles her with an autistic newborn named Cody she touches Maggie's heart and becomes the daughter she has always longed for. But six years later Jenna suddenly re-enters her life and, with her mysterious new husband, Eric Stark, abducts Cody. Despite the fact that Maggie has no legal rights to Cody, FBI agent John Travis takes up her cause when he realizes that Cody shares the same birth date as several other recently murdered children.The Jacket
2005-03-04A military veteran goes on a journey into the future, where he can foresee his death and is left with questions that could save his life and those he loves.Legion of the Dead
2001-08-09Two guys, handsome William and his side kick Luke have just started their trip through the beautiful California desert when they're kidnapped by the notorious Psycho Mike, The Kern River Killer. Securing their escape through hilarious means and the aid of an old friend they soon stumble into a small desert town where unbeknownst to them a mysterious tall Blond Man and his sadistic henchmen are killing people to create a Legion of the dead. Here's where it gets tricky. William falls in love with Geena, the beautiful waitress at the local restaurant and Luke spins out of control hormonally. The restaurant is suddenly attacked by the LEGION and the tall Blond Man gives an ultimatum to hand over Geena within two hours or he will personally come in to get her. What is the mysterious secret that Geena and the Blond Man share? The clock ticks as the ultimatum draws near. The fight against evil has just begun...Repulsion
1965-06-01Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.The Tenant
1976-05-26A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.The Serpent and the R...
1988-02-05A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.