When Found Footage Gets Real: Grungy Cinema
We’re Not Here to Fuck Spiders is Josh Reed’s latest effort and it takes the heist movie gone horribly wrong premise and adds crystal meth into the mix for a mind-blowing cinema verité exercise. This is not a movie for people who are readily put off by graphic violence. So, if you are expecting an episode of Law and Order: SVU, you have come to the wrong place.
From the start, this production moves at a frenetic pace. It is shot in documentary style and it is meant to look like a CCTV feed. This is a gritty look at the down and dirty dealings of an “ice” house in the middle of suburban Sydney. The kingpin of this “enterprise” is a short tempered, paranoid dealer named Anton Berger played by Lindsay Farris.
In the states, Farris is best known for his work on the Bruce Campbell STARZ horror series, Ash vs Evil Dead where he portrayed Dalton, a member of the Deadite slaying Knights of Sumeria in season 3. Gone is the moody, hunky rebel in leather persona instead his Anton is closer to Al Pacino’s Tony Montana. Especially, when Montana is wallowing around in a mound of cocaine with a trigger finger that is itching to go into action.
The “Associates”
Of course, like any wannabe cartel god, Berger is surrounded by his “business” associates: enforcer Pincer (Anthony Taufa) who would give Dwayne Johnson pause, the affably goofy Ahmed (Fayssal Bazzi), strung out party chick, Bezza (Stef Smith), Anton’s submissive and abused girlfriend, Effs (Stephanie King) and the sensitive and quiet, Jimmy (Max Brown). What Anton doesn’t know is that Jimmy secretly pines for Effs and is making plans to start a life with her. In an incredibly dicey move, he rigs the house with strategically planted cameras so that he can blackmail Berger with the threat of uploading the footage.
The gang’s days consist of playing video games, selling their product, roughing up people that can’t pay them and throwing hardcore parties where the soundtrack is electronica which perfectly matches the crazy pace of director Josh Reed’s quick cuts and action. However, the ante is soon going to be upped because their corrupt law enforcement partners, Detective Sgt. Godfrey (John Cordukes) and his partner, Detective Ungers (Ayeesha Ash) have a masterplan. They want Anton and his crew to hit the house of a wealthy man staging it to look like a random home invasion.
In the meantime, Anton’s biker suppliers decide that Berger’s pad is the perfect place to house their meth cooking operation much to everyone’s dismay. With all these distractions going on, not to mention the non-stop daily sampling of ice, Jimmy and Effs continue to carry on their clandestine affair. Although it is hard for Jimmy to watch as Berger routinely treats the woman, he loves like a punching bag.
Finally, the day of the big heist arrives and it is already going to be a hot mess. Anton and Bezza are strung out and what was supposed to be a smash and grab turns into a brutal and intense scene that is reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs. Pincer desperately tries to contain the damage but isn’t successful and Jimmy who is acting like the lookout is wearing a body cam capturing all the action unbeknownst to his partners in crime.
The Worst Hasn’t Happened Yet
Although they have their money, Anton’s problems have only just begun. In classic noir fashion, several characters try to orchestrate a double cross with disastrous results. To make matters worse, Jimmy’s cam footage has been found thanks to Ahmed and the consequences for his actions results in a visceral moment of torture that will linger in the minds of viewers for days.
We’re Not Here to Fuck Spiders is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you are on the prowl for fare that isn’t related to mainstream cinema, try and catch this film when it releases in the U.S.
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Crash Analysis Support Team
Susan Leighton
Susan Leighton has written for many entertainment sites in the past. Currently, her ramblings or rants (depending on the subject matter) can be found at Crash Palace, Diabolique and Grumpire. You can read her thoughts on I LOVE LUCY, DESIGNING WOMEN, MAMA’S FAMILY, GROWING PAINS and PUNKY BREWSTER in Lee Gambin’s compilation of classic sitcoms from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, TONIGHT, ON A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE which is available for pre-order through BearManor Media and Amazon NOW.
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