Road Games (2015)

Admittedly I haven't seen a lot of French films, but those I have seen I've tended to love. In fact both 'Amour' and 'High Tension', despite being very different films, are both in my top 20 of all time. From what I can tell, the French make very patient films which are intended to be retrospectively thought-provoking and also tend to enjoy a good twist. All of which is on display here in 'Road Games'. There is a certainly a lot to consider and all was not as it seemed, however I'm not sure how useful actually analysing it is going to be, because I'm sure all of it made sense.So if we break the film down into thirds, the first two are very patient and mysterious. We haven't met a lot of characters and we are getting the distinct possibility we aren't going to meet many more along the way either. We have a love story of sorts going on, and we have a mystery element too, because we know (based on the very first shots of the films) that not every character is what they seem. Then something absolutely bizarre, random and inexplicable happens. And I don't just mean at the time, I mean even now, having finished the film, I'm not entirely sure why this event happened or what it was supposed to mean. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the film, but for those of you that have I'm pretty sure you will know what I'm talking about.It's at about this stage that the final third of the film begins and all hell breaks loose. Sadly, what should have been the strongest part of the movie, the part everything had been building up to, is the part that lets it all down. The concept is actually a novel one, I just don't think they did it quite right. A twist in a movie should almost physically hit you. You should feel it in a way. Here, I felt almost nothing. A quick, "Oh yeah, that's kind of cool" and that's it. Then the final scene, which had the potential for great dialogue and to leave the audience on a real high, wondering what will become of these people, is completely drowned out by the background music. You need subtitles for the English words in that scene because it is just inaudible. An incredibly disappointing way to finish the film.I think a stronger, more experienced film maker could have done a lot with this idea. Even as it is it's quite an enjoyable film at times. Sadly though, I can't see too many people being blown away by this one. A decent effort that comes up just short of the mark.

Road Games offers a curious fusion of styles, seasoned by the French sensibility of its eccentric characters. It's an unusual recipe, but it works brilliantly. I frequently complain about films with poorly established and badly developed characters, but Road Games is the exact opposite... it takes itself more than one hour for us to get plunged into the experiences and past of Jack, Veronique and their bizarre hosts, through long conversations which help us to decipher their personalities and speculate on the secrets they are hiding. Road Games is one of those movies in which everyone knows more than they seem to; at the same time, those paused scenes create an ethereal and strange atmosphere which intentionally confuses the meaning of the oblique comments and looks exchanged between the characters. It's like a dream we can't wake up from... even though we know it's about to become a nightmare. During the third act, we have various twists which genuinely surprised me... specially because some of them are decoys to keep the mystery on the killer's identity. And even though the suspense is kept until the end, it's never intensified too much; director Abner Pastoll prefers to "simmer" the movie, refraining from shocks and graphic violence in order to keep that nightmarish sensation. Besides, the actors make a good work in their roles. Andrew Simpson feels credible as Jack, who travels without any luggage and occasionally tries to clean a red residue on his nails. Might it be blood? Mmh... Barbara Crampton (whom I will forever associate to Re-Animator and From Beyond, two of my favorite films) bring an appropriately ambiguous aura to her character; I like to see her so active in contemporary horror after such a long absence (just in the last 5 years, I have also seen her in You're Next, The Lords of Salem, Tales of Halloween and We Are Still Here). Joséphine de la Baume (who had already left me quite impressed in the excellent Kiss of the Damned) displays a good level of emotional complexity in her role, while Frédéric Pierrot solidly makes us doubt whether his character is mentally unbalanced or smarter than he seems, and Féodor Atkine makes a perfect work as the classic neighbor obsessed with taxidermy. So, in conclusion, I think Road Games deserves a place along with other French horror gems from 21st century (such as Martyrs -2008-, À l'intérieur and Haute Tension), because I found it a fascinating experience full of suspense, mystery and artistic vision (oh, and have I mentioned the extraordinary music from Daniel Elms?). I give it an enthusiastic recommendation, mainly to the fans of retro "euro-horror", relatively lacking of blood, and more focused on atmosphere, texture and character. Oh, and it was shot in the UK, so in fact, it's "faux French", with a South African director and a "giallo" concept borrowed from Italy. Nobody can blame Road Games for lacking of diversity.

Film's like 1986's The Hitcher, created such paranoia that would more or less put an end to anyone ever picking up a hitchhiker. Jack, the protagonist of this picture, must be completely oblivious of this paranoia as well as frankly everything that goes on in this film. Road Games follows clueless old Jack as he attempts to hitchhike back to England from the south of France without being able to speak or understand the Frenach language. This complete fish-out-of-water soon meets with a girl, Veronique and the two continue to hopelessly hitchhike towards England... That is until an overly friendly Frenchman offers the two shelter for several days at his home along with his ominous as f*ck American wife. Oh and there is also the threat of a Hitchhiker killer on the loose that may be relevant I'm not quite sure.The use of the french language is interesting but also puzzling throughout this film. The majority of the film is spoken in French and this is to create the isolation Jack would experience by not being able to understand the language and also to add mystery as to whether Jack is being told the truth or not... At least this is what Director Abner Pastoll has said, but what I have a problem with is that Gizard and Vernoquie can speak English and know that Jack can't understand them. Yes I know they may speak the truth in french so that Jack can't understand it, but they do this all the time, like there aren't that many secrets to keep from Jack. The extent of French used to communicate with Jack is over done and in many scenes Gizard and/or Veronique speak to Jack one on one making the use of communication basically pointless.The film feels a little bit style over substance as there are some interesting choices of cinematography and iconography but for the most part very little actually happens. The films synopsis is the opening act of this film and the ending is underwhelming and confusing. Logic takes a little bit of a back seat at times as well so that the style can be dominant, for example; When Jack fires a shotgun long range, when Jack and Veronique prepare for Gizard and Mary to walk in the house only to hide next cut, and also the ring around the hail bale rosie, I especially like how actor Frédéric Pierrot demonstrates the stupidity of this scene in an outtake in the gag reel.The worst part of this film has to be what it all builds to... The ending. It may not sound it but I enjoyed the visuals and style of this film for the most part, but the film does build to its conclusion which fails completely. I don't really know what happened in the end. I found the ending really quite confusing with the french language use and twists embedded. I will discuss the ending here so SPOILER ALERT. So I understood that Veronique was Gizard and Mary's daughter but I failed to see what relevance this had on the hitchhiker killer story line that I was expecting to see more of. Gizard said that his daughter is now a murderer and won't stop and all that but she only killed one person and it was more of a mercy killing than cold blooded murder. Veronique doesn't even kill her parents which is what I thought happened until the end credit scene which by the way is laughably bad. So I really failed to see what the "big reveal" was because to me everything seemed irrelevant. But hey, I probably just didn't get it.Overall, Road Games is a hitchhiker thriller with style but lacking in logical or clear understanding for its audience. The film is too successful in its Lost in Translation goal that it lost me as a viewer. Go check out the film as you may or may not understand it better than I did, but for me its time for Road Games to hit the road.

This film came to me as a total surprise! I wasn't so sure what to expect but it was intriguing and kept me hooked until the end.I really needed to know the ending! The best part of the film is the ensemble acting.Outstandding performances, especially Frederic Pierrot is definitely the strong point of the film. The film turned into a smart psychological thriller from a sweet beginning.I keep thinking about it. I don't think it's a perfect film but it really keeps making you think.By submitting this review you are agreeing to the terms laid out in our Copyright Statement. Your submission must be your own original work. Your review will normally be posted on the site within 2-3 business days. Reviews that do not meet the guidelines will not be posted. Please write in English only. HTML or boards mark-up is not supported though paragraph breaks will be inserted if you leave a blank line between paragraph.