Apathy Breeds Contempt is a short, horror film about a man who is being tortured to convince his sins. In the vain of the recent Jodie Foster film, Untraceable, the viewers of the film are asked, “why are you watching this.” The torturer seems to be a psychotic who wears surgical scrubs and a pig’s mask, who surrounds himself with women’s panties, all the while, wielding surgical equipment. The torturer asked the same question over and over again, “are you ready to confess your sins?” In the end, we learn who is really in control of the torturing.
Content
This story, shot on 16mm film, touches on the voyeur in all of us. How much torture will we endure before we turn away? For this reviewer, I am reminded of the ongoing conversations about reality TV and of the depths it will go to engage us. How much will we take before we turn away?
The script was very concise and followed the rule of less talking and more action. The overall experience of watching the film was at times difficult, because the suspense of what was coming next was built into he script very well. With that said, one inconsistency for this reviewer was the torturer telling his victim to scream as much as he likes and then in the next minute, telling him to shut-up and speak only when given permission. My opinion is that it would have been even stronger if the torturer had spoken less. I think it could have created even more tension. Less is more when it comes to dialogue.
The acting was sufficient but didn’t completely deliver. The torturer spoke “at” the other actor instead of really talking with him. I believe his performance would have been stronger if he would have spoken in a more intimate manner to the other actor. This left the torturer's dialogue feeling flat. The other actor, the stronger of the two, did a good job as the victim. His performance was the more real of the two. I felt his confusion, his pleading for it all to stop and his disgust that we would not turn the video off.
The pacing of the story was good. The flow made sense and carried the film forward. There was a rising sense of conflict and tension throughout the story, leading to the catharsis. The filmed delivered on the genre expectations of suspense, terror and horror of the torture.
The overall concept was very interesting as it touched on our society's fascination with watching the destruction and pain of others. And, it was interesting that in the end, the viewer had the power to stop the pain by simply turning the film off. I think the film delivered on all aspects of the horror genre. Everything I expected to see was there. Although, I did not see anything new, the blood to the torture to the killing were some of the things I expected in this genre.
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