Reviewer: Dr. Zeke

Lencevo is a true Indie Avant-garde movie. It plays like a poem in motion, and sounds like a third act of a Shakespeare play. And might I add how refreshing it is to see a live action opening title sequence. Too many short films rush the viewer into the story, for fear of losing their audience. So Kudos to the creative choices of the director.

As far as the story is concerned, be prepared to be confused. But trust that your questions will be answered. Mr. Ortaga did a fantastic job of setting up the themes of this story, and then delivering on the pay-off. He also made great use of his world. While stuck in a single location, the pacing of the edits, and the brief moment outside, gives us a wonderful view into the landscapes of our hero.

Now for the Dreggs. The choice to go black and white was easy. Avant-garde = Desaturate. But I would have liked to see this with specks of color. Also, in an Avant-garde film, one expects some longer than usual scenes. In Lencevo, some of the edits seemed… too… modern. I would have loved to see some scenes where the camera angle didn’t change when it was expected. Let the scene play out, away from camera. So while the story was Avant-garde, the camera angles and the edits were 21st Century normal.

All in all, this was one of my favorite films that I’ve reviewed thus far. I expect many will not like, or get, this movie. And that’s OK, because we are used to being told what to think in a movie. We are not accustomed to being shown something, and deciding for ourselves what the meaning is. Hats off to the Director.

Reviewer: Keaton Pilk

Ok, so I don’t get it. The hero, Rayden, has an imaginary friend that is making him kill people. Rayden can’t make his parents proud of him, so he kills them. Then the imaginary friend turns, and tries to kill him too. All intriguing concepts here, but why? We are never told why the parents feel this way, or why Rayden is driven to have an imaginary friend to begin with. I end up with more questions by the time the film is over, and little or no answers. But oddly enough, that is why the film sticks in my head, and I keep thinking about it. This kind of film jars your curiosity, and knocks it loose from its comfortable resting spot.  And that is uncomfortable.

It’s the chapter title cards throughout the film, in my opinion, that save it. The director makes a direct correlation between Rayden’s psychosis and the development stages of insects. Without them, the film would feel accidentally confusing. By having them in there it makes the film more like a poem, which can be very open-ended and tangent-driven. And that gives the movie originality points from me.

If you want all of the movies you watch to be easily predictable and nicely resolved, then look elsewhere. But if you are into thought-provoking and mysteriously intriguing thrillers, then enjoy this little film and all of its wonderfully uncomfortable and disturbing moments.

Reviewer: Mike Chase