Ink (I) (2009)

A mysterious creature, know as Ink, steals a child's soul in hopes of using it as a bargaining chip to join the Incubi - the group of supernatural beings responsible for creating nightmares.

Director:

Jamin Winans

Writer:

Jamin Winans

Stars:

Christopher Soren Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Soren Kelly	...	John (as Chris Kelly)
Quinn Hunchar	...	Emma
Jessica Duffy	...	Liev
Jennifer Batter	...	Allel
Jeremy Make	...	Jacob
Eme Ikwuakor	...	Gabe
Shelby Malone	...	Sarah
Shannan Steele	...	Shelly
Steve Sealy	...	Ron
Steven Brown	...	The Collector
Shauna Earp	...	Sadie - The Bride
Marty Lindsey	...	The Key Master Incubus
Jeffrey Richardson	...	The Prince
Troy Garner	...	John's Incubus
Maiz Lucero	...	The Brave Incubus

Storyline

As the light fades and the city goes to sleep, two forces emerge. They are invisible except for the power they exert over us in our sleep, battling for our souls through dreams. One force delivers hope and strength through good dreams; the other infuses the subconscious with desperation through nightmares. John (Chris Kelly) and Emma (Quinn Hunchar), Father and Daughter are wrenched into this fantastical dream world battle, forced to fight for John's soul and to save Emma from an eternal nightmare. Separate in their journey, they encounter unusual characters that exist only in their subconscious. Or do they? Ink is a high-concept visual thriller that weaves seamlessly between the conscious and the subconscious. Ink has been hailed as the new "it" movie and compared to cult classics Brazil, Donnie Darko, The Matrix, Dark City and Pan's Labyrinth.

---

Plot Keywords:

dream | storyteller | workaholic | ugliness | traveling through dimensions | 

---

Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ha nem jön az édes álom

Filming Locations:

Arvada, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Double Edge Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the director's commentary this is a movie about different worlds. The dream world has blurry edges, or has images or people randomly mixed in, just like dreams. The Incubus world is green tinted. The storytellers world is gold tinted. The real world is clear. Storytellers and Incubi can enter the real world but can only interact with people through dreams.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
John: Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

---

Connections

Referenced in The Grey (2011)

User Reviews

Winans Shows Indies How To Do It Right

This movie is a gem. A very ambitious project for such a low budget, it has a large cast, many locations and very effective visual effects. More importantly, it has an interesting and inventive story line, memorable characters inhabited by capable performances and a great pace to the editing. It takes us on a surreal journey back and forth between our world, and that of the title character, Ink. Ink is a neophyte Incubus, part of a race of beings that bring us bad dreams and are invisible to humans. When a Storyteller (part of the race of people who bring us good dreams) encounters Ink trying take the last step to becoming a full-fledged Incubus by kidnapping a little girl, a great battle ensues. We are carried between realities, through time and along a great ride that I know I won't soon forget.

There are a few relevant twists that I wont mention here, which unfold effectively along the way. They never seem forced to me, but act as a slow realization. This is one of the things that was most impressive about the film: It was made by a confident and capable director who lets the story reveal itself as it should, trusting the audience to make the necessary connections. A rare trait among independent filmmakers who are either too obtuse and obscure in the delivery of their art, or who err on the other side, dumbing down their story to ensure the audience "gets it". Winans does neither and lets you feel a part of the process with his confidence in your abilities as the viewer. The ending is satisfying without being overplayed, and there was enough going on through out making me want to see it again to look for more.

It's not a perfect film, but my quibbles are as much my personal taste as anything else. And those critiques are too small to mention here.

Ink has proved to me what can be done on a low-budget and with limited resources when you have a great script and take the time to do it right. I don't know what the budget was, but I'm pretty sure it was ridiculously small for the type of production value Winans delivers. He wrings good performances from the unknown cast through out. And while none were quite Oscar-worthy to me, the large cast blends well together and a few performances are really good. More importantly, none are that red flag you almost always see in an indie film. You know the one. It reminds you that this is being made by a low budget cast and crew somewhere. The action sequences are very effective, interestingly shot and edited without looking like they are the focus of the film.

Ink looks, sounds and feel like what we all hope for when going to see an indie: a "real" movie.

Folks, you are going to be hearing about this one. I guarantee it.