MICROFILMMAKER MAGAZINE REVIEWS: "Victim's Song"
12/01/08
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/critiques/Issue37/VicSong1.html

The cold-blooded murder of a wife and daughter rocks a small town. Already accusations have begun to fly about the only survivor of this brutal crime – the father and husband, Eric Chandler (Nicholas Wilder). The public has already started to ostracize him and the police suspect him.

Watching the whole thing play out on the news is a bitter loner named Bucky (Tom Tansey), who lost contact with his own daughter due to his bad habits and is convinced of Eric’s guilt. He determines that the police aren’t doing anything productive and decides to launch his own brand of vigilante justice – namely kidnapping Eric and forcing a confession out of him. Bucky enlists the help of his friend Travis (Norman J. Pfizenmayer III), an introvert who lives with his mother and doesn’t seem to have all of his faculties intact.

As one might suspect, the unlikely pair form a haphazard plan which quickly goes awry.

Content
Perhaps the best word to describe this film is “rollercoaster”. There is some initial tension in the beginning, that slowly builds up to a dramatic climax, at which point the audience might expect a smooth ride, but then something else happens that sends you right back again into the tension. This film continues to surprise the audience – one will likely find themselves guessing as to villains and heroes, but it’s doubtful if they will actually be correct, as all the tension and buildup keeps viewers second-guessing themselves.

There were a few issues that ought to be mentioned, however.

At the beginning of the movie, there is mention of an altercation that took place between Eric and the lead detective, who ended up being suspended because of the incident. With the film’s opening, and the implication of a large media presence around the house, it seems as though this incident would have probably been caught on tape. It would certainly be a good thing to show the audience - especially if it was serious enough to get a detective suspended, a conversation that also occurs early on.

In addition, once the real killer is finally revealed, there isn’t the best explanation of why they actually committed the crime. Clearly there were a few screws loose, and ultimately the revelation of the killer doesn’t seem to be as important as its been built up to be, but it would still be nice to get some sort of better explanation, or even a few very subtle clues along the way

(Incidentally, I’ve been asked by the director not to reveal too much about the ending, which is why some of my wording might seem a bit ambiguous.)

In addition, a videotape that is created during the course of events is absconded with, although this isn’t made as clear as it should have been. I couldn’t tell that there was a tape missing in the shot of the empty video camera, and a close up of the pocket of the individual who took it was a bit too close and I couldn’t even tell what was going on in the image.

Visual Look
There are some very nicely-framed shots in this movie; a lot of objects in the foreground, both in and out of focus, and one particularly neat image that is shot partially through an empty beer bottle with Bucky pacing back and forth in the background, out of focus. Although in one of these shots, the focus jumps a bit too quickly from the foreground to the background. I also liked many of the moving shots, as they added both tension and visual interest.

The opening montage, which consists of news footage and the typical “happy family pictures” that are often shown after a tragic crime, was really well-done. It helped set the mood, tell the backstory, as well as to get across the feeling of communal panic and paranoia that seems to set in after such brutal crimes. The transition between the news footage and the opening scene was simple but, effective – a slow zoom out from a tv screen where the footage was playing, then into the living room of one of the characters.

There were also a few nice montages, such as Bucky and Travis getting ready for their “mission”. The contrast between Bucky’s cold determination and Travis’ anxious nerves was illustrated using both visuals and music. The scenes of Eric being tortured by the two of them are also done in somewhat of a montage format, which is quite effective. Firstly, it avoids overly bloody or gruesome images, which may be too much for most viewers. But it also preys on the power of suggestion – the implication of what is being done to Eric is actually more nerve-wrecking to an audience than actually seeing it on screen.

There was a really nice series of black-and-white flashbacks where Eric was remembering the night of the murder. These flashbacks showed up a few times throughout which helped to get the audience into Eric’s head. There was also a brief shot of video camera footage used, which added a nice touch. Although I would’ve liked to see a bit more of this, as the video camera is picked up several times throughout the course of the movie.

This film didn’t have a lot of visual issues. There were several shots with significantly low light, especially at Bucky’s apartment where the room seemed only to be lit by the TV. While lower lit scenes gave the film a definite eerie feeling, it was sometimes difficult to see what was happening, and occasionally the contrast was a bit too low, flattening the image.

Use of Audio
There was a really great theme song to this film, as well as other good dramatic themes. The dialogue was clear and easy to understand (although Bucky’s thick southern drawl might be lost on some northern folk.)

My one complaint is that there was a segment of very dramatic and ominous music in an early scene where Bucky is driving to see his daughter. It really doesn’t seem to fit as the audience doesn’t know who is in the truck or where they are going. This type of music would be better suited for use when seeing a police car driving down the road, as one might assume that they are enroute to arrest and/or speak with a person of interest in the murder. Or it would also be more suited to the many tense scenes inside Eric’s house.

Use of Budget
Initially, $25,000 did seem like a lot of money spent on a movie that is quite simple – there are only a couple sets and minimal props. In addition, I was surprised to learn that the director financed the entire thing himself through use of credit cards! While this makes every fiber in my Dutch being twitch, I’m reminded of how Kevin Smith used a similar tactic to make his film Clerks, and in Smith’s case it was definitely money well spent!

The filmmakers used their budget to purchase the camera equipment, including a Canon XL2, which was sold after production (it would have been interesting to see the added monetary gain from all the sold equipment.) The rest was spent on a tripod, insurance, sets, costuming, etc. While sometimes renting camera equipment can be less pricy, this film was shot on weekends, which would certainly have inflated the cost.

It’s difficult for me to conceive of spending such a large amount of money, but then I suppose I’m not as much of a risk-taker. Victim’s Song is a really good movie – barring the few mistakes previously mentioned; it shows a lot of knowledge, planning, and passion on the part of the filmmakers, so I’d have to say it was money well-spent.

Lasting Appeal
Although this film’s forceful nature makes it very entertaining, some audience members may find it difficult to watch. There really aren’t any images that show exactly what is happening, but as suggestion can sometimes be worse than actually watching, anyone with a squeamish nature or an aversion to horror movies might get turned off. To be honest, I wanted very much to turn the movie off several times (which I didn’t!). Fans of horror, suspense, and thriller movies would probably enjoy Victim’s Song. It may also appeal to the hardcore crowd too; aficionados of films like The Devil’s Rejects and the Saw series might enjoy the intensity, but could find it too tame.

Overall Comment
Victim’s Song is an intense movie. The story is well-told, and does a great job of grabbing onto an audience. It may start out a little slow, but once it gets going it doesn’t stop for anything.

Breakdown:
Content - 8.9
Visual Look - 9.1
Use of Audio - 9.4
Use of Budget - 9.2
Lasting Appeal - 8.2

Overall Score - 8.9

DONNY BROUSSARD REVIEWS: "VICTIM'S SONG"
By Donny Broussard - 10/14/08
www.killerfilm.com

Plot Outline
"Two hapless loners face inner demons when attempting to force a confession from a wealthy man believed to have murdered his own family."

Review Summary
It has been a long time since I've gotten an indie that was as good as this one.

The Review
When I received "Victim's Song" in the mail I thought I was going to waste two hours of my life watching another terrible indie horror flick. I was wrong. Director Jeffery Stoltzfus proved to be a competent director that took the time to think about what he was shooting, and ended up with a pretty cool indie horror gem.

The film opens with a nicely done news footage montage explaining how Eric Chandler's (Nicholas Wilder) wife and daughter were brutally murdered while he was sleeping. He woke to find the killer perched over his bed, and chased him out of the house to no avail. Of course the local police name him as the number one suspect and a media frenzy begins that pits the general public against Eric. While all of this is going on two backwoods guys; Travis (Norman J. Pfizenmayer III) a misguided leader, and Bucky (Tom Tansey) a humble guy that seems kind of slow devise a plan that they think will get Eric to confess to the allegations of murder. These guys force there way into Eric's home, tie him up, torture him, and even get him to confess, but though it all come to the realization that Eric might not have committed the murders.

For once an indie director picks a script that is for the most part pretty solid. The I-didn't-do-it plot line is kinda old, but they put a new twist on it that worked out in the end. The direction was really strong for an indie at this budget level. Stoltzfus really seems to understand basic horror conventions, and it shows. It has been a long time since I've gotten an indie that was as good as this one. I only have a few negative comments, first some of the actors seemed stiff (normal in indie flicks) which automatically tells an audience that this is a done-on-the-cheap indie flick. But actor Tom Tansey knocked the part of Bucky right out of the park, and Norman J. Pfizenmayer III did a great job as well. The second complaint I have is the video, it looked like consumer grade video at times, and if not for the solid storytelling and direction I would have had a hard time taking it seriously. But in the end I did take it seriously, because it was definitely a killer film.

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