how friends can play a huge role in one’s behavior
In life, it is saddening to see how friends can play a huge role in one’s behavior. Moreso, when it comes to substance use, friends are more likely to rule one into their company and end up being an addict. Being addicted does not just end there as they get involved in various debaucheries, which might ruin their lives forever. What is worse is how these addicts try to make a load of excuses for their manipulative behavior. These problems are a glimpse of what unfolds in Joey Klein’s an actor who turned a director’s 2019 film Castle in the Ground.
The film follows a 19 years old
orthodox Jew teenager, Henry, who takes care of his dying mother, Rebecca, in
Sudbury, Ontario. Every day, Henry brings her mother a cup of coffee, crushed
pills, and other things. However, his mother suffers from a relapse and dies
after overdosing of painkillers and fentanyl. As he tries to deal with his
mother’s death, he befriends a new neighbor, Ana, who brings her friends in her
house most of the time. Ana introduces him to the world of addiction and
violence. Ana ends up becoming his surrogate mother, whom he continues to serve
after her mother’s demise. She is so demanding that she needs money and keeps
demanding Henry’s assistance to help her meet her methadone prescription. He
gets accustomed to fulfilling all her needs just like he did for her mother.
While the film may be
admired for its dedication to communicating a great message about drugs and its
detrimental effects, it does not seem to have a well-established connection to
the main characters. Despite Alex Wolff, good performances, the character he plays, does
not make the film any better. As portrayed in the movie, Henry does not seem to
have family or even friends’ support. There is a scene that he is shown
praying. Ironically, the film does not display any role his religion seems to
play in his life. Besides, he has no aspirations in his life, which is one of
the flaws of this film. However, Ana’s character is well portrayed. The
character’s murkiness is effective and more appropriate in the movie. She is depicted
as paranoid, devious, and hysterical, which are some of the character traits to
expect to a drug addict.
While the characters in
the film may have played their role well, one may feel Klein’s film is way too
sketchy to be described as a crime melodrama or character drama. Besides, the
narrow 4:3 ratio shooting by the cinematographer Bobby Shore which has many
head-on-closeups where the characters in some scenes face the camera, directly
looks disorienting in some way. The characters appear as if they are in a club.
Also, Chris Hyson’s ambient score does not help the overall sluggish feeling of
the film. Also, the way the film turns to a thriller and resembles House of Usher with
deceased Henry’s mother, Ana taking a role of a doppelganger, Henry, who becomes
a zombie for using drugs in its storyline does not seem compelling. Also, after
Rebecca’s death, Ana adopts her phones as well as her dresses which feels
disturbing
In conclusion, I would
recommend the film Castle in
the Ground as it describes
how individuals may be lured into substance use and the negative effects of
drugs. Whether this subject is grotesque, redemptive, tragic, or even
terrifying, it requires more attention. However, Klein’s movie depicts a
dangerous territory and an unpleasant view that is not compelling at all. The
film’s narrative is disappointing, and in some scenes, the cinematography does
not do any good either.