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The Bunker
Pray for Dawn: Bunker der Schmerzen
USA 2011
produced by Brenda Kensler, Joseph M. Monks, Pamela Hazelton (executive) for Sight Unseen Pictures
directed by Joseph M. Monks
starring Saskia Gonzalez, Terry M. West, Ron Sheppard, Teresa Vicario, Charles DeVos, Joseph Ianniello, Ms. Veronique, T.J. Glenn, Bryan Hardbargur, Audra Pezza, Christie Dishner, Ed Polgardy, Michael Gaglio, Robert Morales, Eric Valdes, Terry Postage, Tara MacNamara, Valerie Valdes, Joseph M. Monks, Robert Feigenblatt, Charles Devos
written by Joseph M. Monks, music by Robert Feigenblatt, Josip Vilicic
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
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16 year old Julia Jennings (Saskia Gonzalez) has so had it with her
parents, especially her up-for-reelection congressman father (Ron
Sheppard), who puts his campaign over her well-being, trying to impose his
set of morals on her just to stay in power. So eventually she runs away,
preferring to become a homeless underage hooker to spending even one more
day with her parents ... and then she falls into the claws of "the
Kidnapper" (Terry M. West). The kidnapper locks Julia up in his
basement, stripped down to her bra and panties, and tortures her in a
variety of ways, both physically and mentally, using everything from light
electro shocks and pulling a toe-nail, to decorate her prison with missing
persons posters depicting her and letting her have a photo book depicting
his last victims. She tries her best to make an escape, but since she's
constantly monitored, there isn't much that evades her kidnapper, and
physically, he's at about a 2 to 1 advantage (not even counting the fact
that he constantly drugs her and is always armed). Eventually, he's pushed
her far enough that she tries to commit suicide, but ... Well, nothing
is as it seems ... The Bunker is a very nasty little
film, because without really showing all that much explicite violence, it
doesn't at all shy away from whatever form of cruelty, all used towards a
girl who actually has more than enough fight in her ... she's just never
given a chance from the beginning. But while the film at times veers
awfully close towards torture porn, it never crosses the line in terms of
self-serving nastiness but the things that do happen are always grounded
in the story (even if that at times becomes apparent only later), which
ends in a refreshingly mean twist. And add to this two very compelling
central performances and a subtle, stylish directorial effort (something
forces me to point out the director's actually blind, but do learn more
about that aspect of the movie here)
and you've got a pretty good piece of genre cinema. Recommended!
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