2014 ‘M.O.Ž.’ Directed by Aik Karapetian
A business executive lays off hundreds of harbor workers after they go on strike. He and his wife plan to escape the stress by taking an Italian vacation. On the evening before the trip, one of the fired workers, dressed in an orange harbor worker safety jacket, slips into their home. Although his immediate actions reveal a murderous intent, revenge is only the initial step.
М.О.Ж., Mężczyzna w pomarańczowej kurtce, Человек в оранжевом жилете, Turuncu Ceketli Adam
Canada
Fantasia International Film Festival
Latvia
USA
Canada
Latvia
USA
I'd been wanting to watch this one for awhile and I was so glad I was finally able to tonight.
From what I've read the norm in Latvian cinema is mostly comedy and drama, so for a horror film to come along and reawaken/revive/create a standing effort in the genre where it is basically non-existent is both innovative and rewarding. It's nothing special really, the plot being somewhat disjointed, but it's powerful in the way slow-burn horrors are, while watching this films such as High Tension and The House of the Devil came to mind, as well as films like The Shining but more subtly. And maybe even with nods to such films as The Toolbox Murders, or even The…
Well, well, well. This was quite a surprise. Cold, malevolent, sadistic, vile. The story is wonderfully assisted by its technical aspects, which work together seamlessly to give the atmosphere. The seemingly isolated location and the pacing also helps the vibe. And then, we have the great cinematography combined with a suspenseful score.
What I loved on a technical level: the cinematography, the soundtrack, the colors, which are plain, ordinary and combined to create an unnerving juxtaposition to what is occurring on screen.
I was impressed with the way the story flowed. The slow (yet effective) nature of the storytelling is a key point.
On an overall scale, it isn't going to be an easy sit for those who are easily affected by on-screen violence but it’s kinda a hidden gem to certain audience members who may not know it exists.
This one shies away from the gore and doesn't give the sexy leading man anything to do but walk around a nice house for an hour, but I did think it was funny when he hired two prostitutes who looked like the Latvian Soska sisters and declared "you'll now be sucking my balls"
Kudos to Aik Karapetian, who is the first director in Latvia with enough courage or enough of a "I don't give a fuck" attitude to make a horror film in a country, where only two genres - drama and comedy - are known to viewers, therefore forcing most filmmakers to only make these type of films! Also big appreciation for the specifically made top-notch film score for this. Other than that, a little too all over the place for my taste. Not talking about gore here, but rather the way our main character loses it - a bit of this and that... I did, however, absolutely love the scene with the balcony and the man in the orange jacket across the lake - reminded me of the Quaker story from "Seven Psychopaths", that sort of faraway terror. That I did enjoy a lot and would've loved to see more of.
Snowscreamer. The employer is neither here nor there, the ladder drops. Never go for budget cuts.
The titular figure is a disgruntled harbor worker who, with clearly murderous intent, invades the posh manor home of the executive responsible for a spate of recent layoffs. Even that is questionable, though, as this minimalist suspense thriller contains very little dialogue and is deliberately ambiguous throughout. It reminded me a bit of Psycho in that it establishes its premise early and anticipates audience expectations, defying them at every subsequent turn. This mostly works, as it doesn't do the obvious while retaining a sense of logic and motivation, but it does kind of wobble a bit in its climax. Which is a shame, because one more twist (of the knife) in those final moments would have made this a much stronger and more memorable film overall. As a bloody and disturbing feature-length debut for Aik Karapetian, however, it shows real promise.
![nathaxnne [hiatus: blast injury]](https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/avatar/upload/1/9/5/2/4/3/shard/avtr-0-80-0-80-crop.jpg?v=2d9f35eba8){kind=small}
Although this movie had something to say about how the possessors and the dispossessed are locked in a violent cycle of deprivation and reprisal, wherein revolutionary action taken in vengeance out of anger ensures one becomes the other in time, and does so with a bare minimum of dialogue and a maximum of well-lit, well-constructed shots, the overall dour nastiness and tonal meanness on display turned me off. If this reads like a recommendation, then you might really like this movie. I hope you do. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind and would like it more were I in a different place.
In Aik Karapetian's chilling The Man in the Orange Jacket, a fired Latvian laborer sneaks into the home of his former boss, killing the man and his wife. What happens next is a shocking series of events limited only by the film's lack of dialogue. The use of very minimal dialogue in a film can often be an asset, but in this particular instance, it hinders plot and character development. The film would certainly seem to lack the humor of Karapetian's new film, Samuel's Travels. I liked that one a bit more, but fans of arthouse horror may as well give this one a look too.
A young man fired from his job. He snaps. Then goes into a vicious home invasion letting his sick mind loose with every homicidal impulse and depraved act he can think of. A brutal but elegant in a weird way horror flick. Director Aik Karapetian films with dread and violence right through his lenses. Check it.
What happens after a murderous home invasion? That is the question Armenian born director Aik Karapetian asks in his debut film The Man in the Orange Jacket, a low key, intriguing horror drama.
After being sacked from his job at the harbor, Dan [Maxim Lazarev] walks straight to his former bosses house, breaks in and murders both him and his wife. Normally this would be the climax or a midpoint, but Karapetian uses the powerful and violent moment as his opening scene only to latch onto Dan and follow his struggle and nightmares that the guilt of his deeds bring with them.
The first Latvian horror film is a dark, surreal affair which holds a dense atmosphere and an over all eerie vibe through out its 71 minute run time.
This is my kind of horror. It's not about the violent act itself, but the psychological toll of the aftermath, which- when you're forced to face your own psychopathic tendencies- is a far more horrific scenario to find yourself in.
