Excision (2012)
High impact themes and bloody images
| Director: | Richard Bates Jr. |
| Actors: | Annalynne Mccord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter, Roger Bart, John Waters, Malcolm McDowell, Marlee Matlin, Jeremy Sumpter, Matthew Gray Gubler, Ray Wise |
Psychodrama, melodrama and surreal shock-horror collide memorably in the story of Pauline, a very bright and very disturbed high school student who isn't kidding when she says she has borderline personality disorder. Alienated from her ineffectual father and conservative Christian mother, Pauline loves only her desperately ill sister and dreams of one day becoming a surgeon. With Pauline haunted by erotically charged nightmares and engaging in no-confessions-barred conversations with God, this bizarre rites-of-passage drama is one you won't soon forget.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 81mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
Cutting satire
by Simon Miraudo, 14/06/2012 11:51:00 AM
Richard Bates Jr.'s Excision is the kind of grotesque, low-budget, oddball fare that only gets its due in film festivals, and/or basements of deliriously deranged teens. I mean that as a compliment. What better venues for a picture about a diabolical high school miscreant and her well-meaning plot to perform surgery on her cystic fibrosis-suffering sister? AnnaLynne McCord gives a surprisingly layered performance as Pauline, a cold sore-ridden weirdo who just can't fit in; be it at home with her Christian mother (Traci Lords - yes, that Traci Lords) and beaten down father (Roger Bart), at school with her frustrated teachers and dismissive peers, or even in her own head. In her dreams she's a blonde, nude, surgical goddess adored by her minions, each one more willing to be subject to her C...
Richard Bates Jr.'s Excision is the kind of grotesque, low-budget, oddball fare that only gets its due in film festivals, and/or basements of deliriously deranged teens. I mean that as a compliment. What better venues for a picture about a diabolical high school miscreant and her well-meaning plot to perform surgery on her cystic fibrosis-suffering sister?
AnnaLynne McCord gives a surprisingly layered performance as Pauline, a cold sore-ridden weirdo who just can't fit in; be it at home with her Christian mother (Traci Lords - yes, that Traci Lords) and beaten down father (Roger Bart), at school with her frustrated teachers and dismissive peers, or even in her own head. In her dreams she's a blonde, nude, surgical goddess adored by her minions, each one more willing to be subject to her Cronenbergian experimentation than the last. In real life, not so much.
Pauline has two life goals. The first is to lose her virginity, and the second is to provide for her sis Grace (Ariel Winter) a new lung. She goes about both tasks with meticulous planning, a total disregard for acceptable social mores, and a sociopathic sense of entitlement. All the while she prays to God, ensuring that when she apologises for her sins - if she apologises, that is - she'll be instantly absolved. She really does dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
Excision is no horror movie, but rather, a blood-strewn black comedy. It's an uneasy tone to strike, but Bates finds the right balance with his sharp script and just enough underlying tension, aided by the recurring visual flourishes of Pauline's disturbing dream imagery. It's a more successful fusion than last year's The Woman, which was a far more questionable ordeal. The impressive cast helps a lot too; not just McCord (whose turn is funnier, creepier, and more affecting than you would expect to see in a feature like this), but also Lords, Bart, and Winter. When Excision reaches its dark climax, it's carried by the performances, and not the innate terror of the events. Bates has recruited a host of recognisable faces to remind you that his world is indeed a weird one. Malcolm McDowell plays a teacher, Ray Wise a principal, and John Waters a priest. What a world it is.
3.5/5
Read More
If you like this, try these:
Member Reviews (9)
9 Member
Reviews
Lea
says
A very strong movie but disturbing, the actors did an excellent job.
says
Sick. Confused. Nothing of merit in this film. Pit-bottom angst all leading predictably to just sick fantasies played out. Not a very classy film
ka-tet
says
Rating this movie more on the back of good film making rather than a good film experience. Traci Lords pitch perfect as the bitch mother/wife, there is a significant buy in for the tortured teen bit, which is probably why this film is mistaken for indie when it is clearly art house. If you find yourself wondering why you're watching it stick it out there is a minor pay off.
Liz
says
Well if you have an 18 year old daughter who is acting a little weird then perhaps you should watch this movie. It's not for the squeamish or the fainthearted but it's an amazing ride of a movie. It's disturbed and revolting and hilarious all at the same time. As the Christian mother exasperated at her daughter's antics, Traci Lords has never been better. Full marks to AnnaLynne McCord who takes her portrayal of a delusional teenager right out to the fartherest limb of the crazy tree. The delightful Ariel Winter from Modern Family plays the good daughter to McCord's bad and John Waters plays a priest, of all things. This is brave and wonderful film-making.
lee
says
Wowwwwwwwwwwww what a performance by the actress playing Pauline, highly recommend
LGB
says
A stranger cast you will not find, let's just start with that. Malcom McDowell, John Waters, Traci Lords and Roger Bart, those 4 names shouldn't be in the same sentence together but there they are, and it works. The entire movie is a pitch black comedy, and I mean PITCH BLACK, there's no true joy in the characters lives and their sour attitude gives this film a lot of great moments. The horror elements are done cleverly and with a lot of gusto. It's not like any film I can think of, but if you like different films far from the mainstream then this is something you should have a look at. It's ending, which I won't spoil, is one of the most well performed and tense endings I've seen in the last year... also, for an Ex-Child Porn star, Traci Lords gives the best performance of the entire movie and is worth the rental on it's own
CL-D
says
"Excision?", no such word in the dictionary, have I missed something? This is a well crafted indie movie and the stars do a great job. It's all pretty straightforward stuff and I thought and there were some really funny bits in it. Isn't every film a "genre" film Cindy?
joffa
says
One of those 'needs to view more than once to truly 'soak in' what the moviemakers are trying to portray to their audience'!!! Type movies work it out for yourself......... it's 'out-there'............. somewhere.
Cindy
says
Best described as the disturbed lovechild of David Cronenberg and John Waters, the latter of whom makes a guest appearance along with a whole host of indie regulars. Most assuredly a film that is not for everyone (perhaps not even that many...) you can expect buckets of blood, joyless sex and an abundance of teen angst - all portrayed in a blackly comedic way. The ending is as unsettling as it is memorable.
I found plenty to appreciate here, but it's a really a genre film that will only appeal to lovers of outsider cinema.