LOVE SICK/SICK LOVE

The corner of the horror genre that is inhabited by the low-budget independent film is a hard place to be. Filmmakers faced with stringent budgetary restrictions and limited resources have a hard job of creating something that can compete in the market place and find an audience that will be appreciative. It's not an easy thing to do and few filmmakers faced with such challenges are able to successfully pull it off. But I certainly applaud all those that attempt the feat, even if I don't always enjoy the results.

Lovesick/Sick Love is one of the successes; I'm pleased to say. I always approach low-budget fare like this with a degree of uncertainty and apprehension, often fearing the worst - but Wolfgang Büld succeeded against all my expectations and delivers a film that is both well-crafted and entertaining. The story follows the fortunes of the down-on-her-luck Julia (Fiona Horsey) who is desperate to raise some cash for her musician boyfriend who owes money to some dangerous gangsters. Working two jobs, one in a bar in the evening and by day as a maid in a hotel, run by seedy owner Michael Ryan (Paul Conway). Whilst working her job as a maid, a lecherous guest offers her money for sex, and hesitantly she complies, thinking of the extra cash she could earn. Their activities are interrupted by the man's wife and Julia finds herself accused of stealing the money. She refuses to admit guilt in the matter and Ryan threatens her with dismissal following an investigation. However, that night, Julia spots Ryan unconscious after a session of heavy drinking and carries him home. She hatches a plan and spends the night with him and convinces him in the morning that they had great sex. Then she spins a tale about the guest accusing her of stealing, saying that he had sexually assaulted her. Ryan promptly confronts the guests and Julia is spared her job. Thinking her plan was a success, she meets up with her boyfriend in one of the hotel rooms - only their clandestine meeting is caught on CCTV by Ryan and he goes to eavesdrop on them. Hearing how he has been duped by Julia, he decides to take matters into his own hands and he begins to drug Julia and has his way with her and things continue to take a decidedly sinister turn until the inevitable and brutal climax…

I was pleasantly surprised at just how good Büld's film was - it has an intriguing and engaging story, strong performances from Paul Conway and Fiona Horsey, and it's short enough to never become boring (some directors with too much creative freedom tend to labour a point). Conway is particularly effective, at times menacing and creepy, whilst at others full of loneliness and sadness - he portrays his character brilliantly and convincingly. Fiona Horsey is equally capable and plays here character to the hilt - the switch from love-smitten girlfriend to mercenary money-grabber is both believable and frightening.

All-in-all this is a superb effort from Wolfgang Büld and I found myself thoroughly engrossed from start-to-finish. I can't say better than that - it's not the most polished work you'll ever view, but it succeeds more than it fails. If you fancy something a little quirky and off-beat, this might be just the ticket for you.

The DVD from Odeon unfortunately is a bit of a botch job - whilst the packaging proclaims the film to be presented in 16:9, this is a bit misleading. The feature presentation has certainly been flagged for 16:9 playback, but it's actually a letterboxed 1.85:1 that is stretched to fill the 16:9 frame. This easily rectified by altering the display settings on your TV or DVD player, but I do think it's a bit of an oversight on the part of Odeon. That aside, the image quality is generally what you'd expect for a film of this budget - but it looks reasonably sharp and free from any major visible defects. Adequate, but nothing more - I've seen better, but I've also seen far, far worse. I imagine it won't ever look better than it does here. The audio is a serviceable DD 2.0 soundtrack, which is perfectly fine - dialogue is always crisp and clearly audible.

There are a handful of extras such as a behind-the-scenes section, a teaser trailer, a stills gallery, and a theatrical trailer. Overall it's a pretty good package and the extras just add value for money, which is always a good thing.

So, like I say, if you're looking for something a little different and off the beaten track, you could do a lot worse than giving this movie a shot. It's enjoyably diverting and quirky enough to hold your interest.

Review by C J Otter