INK

John (Christopher Soren Kelly)’s wife died a short while ago and her estranged parents returned on to the scene, taking custody of his young daughter Emma (Quinn Hunchar).

Ever since, John has thrown himself into his successful office job. But when his head hits the pillow on an evening, Emma often visits him in his dreams, begging to spend more time playing at monster-slaying in local fields with him.

If John’s dreams haunt him, he should count himself lucky: the opening minutes of INK also reveal to us the dreams of those around him – some good, others positively barmy.

But John’s dreams are about to get worse, as is his reality, when Emma is visited by a mysterious black-robed figure called Ink (short for Incubus) while she lies sleeping in her bed at her grandparents’ house. The hooded figure throws a screaming Emma over its shoulder and races off into the night, despite the efforts of a group of agile dream warriors who attempt to curtail the kidnap.

The following morning, John wakes and preens himself ready for his day at the office. He sets about his usual business – being busy, behaving smug and remaining oblivious to whatever’s going on in the world outside. Which is unfortunate because Emma needs his help ...

Enter Ron (Steve Sealy), Emma’s grandfather. He turns up at John’s office asking for assistance – for Emma’s sake. John reminds Ron of how Emma was taken from him at the end of an ugly court battle, and insists that he no longer has a daughter. But, as his ensuing dreams illustrate, he is still deeply affected by the loss of his family.

Without his help, Emma’s only hope in the alternative universe where the Ink has taken her, are the band of kick-ass rebels who are following her every move, intent on saving her. Among these is Allel (Jennifer Batter), a demure young woman who is as adept at martial arts as she is concerned for the child’s welfare.

The storyline, which as you may have gathered is not easy to put into words, continues to unravel between both worlds: hot-headed John gradually becomes more and more frustrated in his place of work, taunted by voices inside his head and a niggling need to answer Emma’s subliminal cries for help; Emma becomes ingratiated with those hoping to save her, and learns of a world where the dreams of mortals are fought over by two armies – one good, one evil.

Throw into the mix a wealth of sepia-tinted flashbacks which demonstrate the hard life John has had, and allow the dream warriors to seep through into John’s "reality" ... and you have a film that is at once bold, striking and more than a little confusing in its narrative.

Indeed, I can see some viewers giving up around the half-way mark. My advice would be, don’t: it does all gel, come the end – even though interpretations of what it all ultimately means are already sparking intense debates on online forums.

INK was shot on a low budget in Denver by its writer-director Jamin Winans. It’s his second feature effort, following on from 2005’s little-seen thriller 11:59. While nigh-on impossible to do justice to via a synopsis, INK is certain to raise Winans’ profile significantly. It should, if justice prevails, elevate him to catering for Multiplex audiences next.

It would be lazy to compare the film conceptually to INCEPTION. It has similarities in so far as the control and theft of dreams, but goes for an altogether different look and feel. Think more Terry Gilliam – somewhere between BRAZIL and TIDELAND, for example.

But, with nods to PAN’S LABYRINTH, THE MATRIX, NIGHTWATCH and DONNIE DARKO also evident throughout, it’s pleasing to announce that INK retains a healthy level of originality in spite of so many obvious reference points. The key is in Winans’ intricate plot, weaving in-between reality and dream – quickly blurring the distinction between the two.

Dialogue is at times rum and the low budget does unfortunately bring with it a cast who can’t always carry the emotional weight being called for. But these are minor quibbles when the visuals are this good, and the abundance of ideas so great.

4 Digital Media’s screener disc presented the film and nothing else in the way of menus, extras etc.

The picture quality per the promo disc provided was sharp, clean and vibrant. Considering the film’s low budget origins, it looks great and this 16x9 widescreen transfer does it complete justice.

The same can be said of the dependable English 2.0 audio.

Although there were no extra features made available to review, the retail release includes the likes of a feature commentary track from Winans, a behind-the-scenes featurette, interviews with the lead actors and deleted scenes. For a film such as this, I imagine these extras to be wholly worthwhile.

INK is definitely worth picking up. It’s original, stylish and extremely well-made. Winans is clearly a talent to keep an eye on, and in time to come this film will no doubt prove to be a very important stepping stone in an illustrious director’s career.

Recommended.

Review by Stuart Willis