Nature Morte (2006) User Reviews

Good idea gets sidetracked

[gerard_kraus · 3/10 · 26 October 2006]

A reputed artist brings home a fine looking women and explains that he wants to paint her in his style. Little does she know that the painter not only imagines the injuries and bodily harms his paintings depict but actually inflicts them to be portrayed... He wakes up next to her corpse and discovers that the police have surrounded the building and, seeing no escape, blows his brains out.

Nature Morte starts out as a creepy mix between Lovecraft and Noir. unfortunately, the plot quickly sidelines this main issue and gives in to psychedelic drug use and the matching camera movement and cuts, throw in a sickening amount of gratuitous nudity, spanking and sex and you end up with the mess that is "Nature Morte". Here's an example of a film that could have done more with less. Once the mystery behind the main plot point is lifted the film still goes on and pulls a "Return of the King"-esquire multiple endings whose only reason of existence seem to be to display more naked female bodies.

Shame really, so much more could have been done with this.

An ugly mess

[TdSmth5 · 2/10 · 23 June 2008]

If you and your friends got together and shot a movie on VHS-C with no budget then you'd have what Nature Morte looks like.

And it looks ugly. The lighting is non-existent unless they purposely covered all lighting so that every scene looks dark even outdoor scenes. Couldn't they have gotten someone to hold a flashlight at least. There are some girl-girl sex scenes that are also too dark and edited so poorly, not even those make for interesting viewing.

It doesn't look like any actors got involved, because no one can act one bit, except for some of the strippers. And the people playing the parts here couldn't afford make-up either apparently.

The sounds is no better, with dialogue so low volume it's hard to understand while some sound effects exceedingly loud.

So technically, this movie is a disaster. Production values are zero and it shows.

The story involves a sadistic killer and supernatural works of art. The police get the help of an arts expert to hunt down the criminal. That takes them to Thailand for some reason. Not that we get to see much of that place and what we do see is so poorly shot, it's useless. The artist gets deeply involved: drugs, women, a crime perhaps? Back in London and with the criminal supposedly dead, killings starts again. And so the story goes on. This movie seems to have no end, it goes on and on and on "one month later" then "six months later" it's the same over and over with some lady in a wig seducing other women and making them suffer apparently. So the work of the original artist keeps spreading beyond him. That's the supernatural part of all this. Then there some mysterious bald character that takes care of things but he comes and goes without any explanation.

I like low budget horror movies, they usually show a love for the genre that the Hollywood industry couldn't even begin to understand and I look for whatever good there is to find. I can't find much in this movie that is watchable let alone enjoyable or entertaining. It is just too poorly shot. This is one of the few movies were I had to fight the urge to fast forward most of it. Unlike most movies today, there is quite a bit of dialogue but what good is that if you can't understand it. There's a story here with plenty of characters. I wish the filmmakers had waited to raise more money and film this in an acceptable quality.

Ultra light lesbian S & M porn. Horror? Not in the slightest.

[glyptoteque · 1/10 · 14 December 2015]

There have been some excellent indie-horror in the past few years, like Headless, We Are Still Here, Thanatomorphose and The Burnt House. In that respect, considering the superficial cut and paste "horror" that's being produced in feeble Follywood, true horror fans definitely should be grateful for all the talented and nasty subterranean spirits out there who have a vision and are able to bring their insanity to celluloid. And here is the crux; as long as you really know how to make a horrific atmosphere and have a decent story to tell, chances are that the end result will prove to be satisfying. Of course good acting always helps, but as long as the two aforementioned basics are in place, the ability of the actors ( as long as it's not totally abysmal ) is merely the topping.

This feeble display however is the polar opposite of all things horror, of all things disgusting and nocturnal, and the director should at once redefine himself. Preferably redefine himself into someone not involved with film-production at all. At best, bringing coffee to actually talented directors. As others have mentioned, the technical aspects are plain amateurish; the filter being used is like watching a damn home video ( which would be perfectly acceptable if we were talking faux snuff ) and the lighting is s**t.

As for the story, murderers using the blood of their victims to paint with is titillating enough, but then at the very least I would expect to see some decent bloody killing on display. Sorry to disappoint you immensely, you don't get that here. All you get is abysmal acting, characters that are not believable in any shape or form, and some ultra light lesbian S & M porn. Do you get horror? Not in the slightest. A worthless piece of film.

Nature Morte - Size is not important!

[jeanstark · 8/10 · 15 July 2008]

I read a lot about this film before I see it so was very interested to watch it when it arrive yesterday. Some people love, and some people hate Nature Morte. All my favorite movies are like this.

First point, the cover is not a good indication of Nature Morte. It says "Hostel in Latex", I do not know "Nihilista Magazine" but I think the author see a different film to me. Maybe he just look at the picture on the box.

Nature Morte has big ambitition, it have a lot of locations and costumes and it wants to be a big movie. But I think that director Paul Burrows is not a very rich man!

The acting is OK, I like Jeso Vial, Carole Derrien and Laurent Guyon but maybe I am bias because they are all French. Some of the actors are not so good, but this is normal in small horror movies.

The colors in this movie are very nice, the picture is sometimes to dark, but for me, this is only a small problem. I read some people think it is more like an Italian thriller from the 1970s, but I do not think so. It is more like an art movie but has blood,sex and a it has a very detailed and very good story. This is the strength of this movie, it is very original. I have not seen another movie like Nature Morte before.

I like Nature Morte a lot and I give it 8/10. If it have more money it maybe could have been a 10/10.

Interesting, Spooky, Sexy

[boomer02 · 9/10 · 18 November 2006]

I was fortunate enough to see this film recently and was excited to find a film that uses the classic style of movie direction in the like of Hitchcock (if updated and liberated)in that uses mood and suspense as if a character in the film. Although not a high budget film, it is a well made movie that carries a dark mood which sends chills down your spine while peaking your erotic interest.

In this day and age of special effects and ultra violence it is refreshing to see a movie that uses suggestion along with blood and gore. This is not to say there isn't a bit of blood spilled, but the effect is created mainly by the acting and not just special effects gore. What is very special about the movie is the way it transports the viewer to the dark side of sex. You get caught up in the characters' over the limit fetish and come away with a guilty feeling of enjoying watching it.

Special note to Carole Derrien's performance. Her alluring and erotic presence blends effectively with a dark and dangerous soul to draw you into her world even though you know it is fatal. All in all a very good film that not only makes you think, but reaches out and grabs you (and twists a bit for good measure).

Thriller - Sex, Drugs, Murder and Supernatural!

[sandra-l-murphy · 8/10 · 11 July 2007]

I love a good thriller.. and this certainly fits the bill

I saw Nature Morte at a London screening. As with all good Thrillers, you have to keep your eyes and ears open in case you miss those all important clues to who the killer might be... or become!

One of the main characters is Carole Derrien who plays Blanche - shes very sexy but quietly dangerous drawing victims into her dark world..

The music is great very eerie! - Steve Severin created this - he was the original founder of Siouxsie and the Banshees...

I understand this is a first for Paul Burrows, Outstanding first film. I hope there will be more to come.

Seduction has never seen so much bite!!

[zombi69 · 9/10 · 29 October 2006]

Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of a painter while creating his master piece? Or what techniques they use to reach the ultimate environment for each artistic moment? Well, this is all displayed, explained and brought to a whole new level in Paul Burrow's new film NATURE MORTE. Seduction has never seen so much bite. Paul's adventurous thriller brings us some of the most lush scenery, globe trotting from Europe to the exotic beaches of Thailand. That is only but the edge work of this very uniquely shot film. Lust, art, drugs and pure evil are all intertwined bringing us an artful display pitted on the fringes of surrealism.

Tweaking total eroticism in such an artful manner, yet along with the joy is a hidden fear that is laid out throughout the film. Through stunning camera work, lighting, direction and music, NATURE MORTE is simply a brilliant vehicle for evoking several dormant factors of the human experience. From an opening sequence that is striking as much as it's erotic. The stage is set as you are thrown into this world of complete darkness, though like a draw to beauty you're sense of intrigue is heightened through the uncertainty. All of this is encased in an eerie yet very subtle score from founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Steve Severin in a collaboration with his wife Arban who also was involved with another film a couple of years ago, Robert Pratten's haunting, London VOODOO. The score is very involving with every scene, changing or morphing it's sounds to evoking just the right atmosphere with the images at hand.

John Stephenson is a brilliant painter with a very strange method. His last painting is unfinished as he kills himself as events that are uncontrolled by him force the situation. In trying to solve the murder/suicide, the police recruit a Stephenson expert, Oliver Davenport. An art collector and writer, he agrees to travel to Thailand to track down a few Stephenson pieces. There he is introduced to Lec, who happens to own these pieces as well as a painter himself. Much in the same vein as Stephenson, Oliver is intrigued to learn more about Lec and his mysterious lifestyle. Drawn into a dark world of lust, drugs and total bizarreness, Oliver learns the dark secrets Lec holds.

NATURE MORTE is an excellent window into the true abilities of Paul Burrows as a director and writer. Strong story, plot, direction and acting all attest to a bright future that lay ahead. With NATURE MORTE, there are reminiscent visions of a young Jean Rollin, a director who was and still is superb at painting a moving canvas, though stagnate it maybe, and many times plot less in nature, his films often reflected a time of lustful beauty set free. Paul Burrows NATURE MORTE is in the same vein as a Rollin film, though more modern and with a strong story and plot. The imagery conveyed through the film is often seductive, passionate and most of all very artful. One can not forget though along with all the seduction there is a sharp hidden stab of pure evil and fear that is projected at just the right times. Let a slight reminder that there is simply more then one dimension to the film.

I must commend the acting in NATURE MORTE as well, especially the strong performance from Troy McFadden as Oliver Davenport. His character is incredible in depth and complete realism. Of course that can attest to Paul Burrow's ability in handling the actors right. Still, both have to be credited. Along with Troy's lead, there was an excellent support cast as well, all of which performed each's respectful roles with complete realism and class.

Fresh out of post production and ready to start it's long track into the festival circuits, NATURE MORTE is a sure hit. One must go into this experience with an empty slate waiting an onslaught of shear artful bizarreness. An exploitation ride that will surely burn it's place into your memory. I'm already looking forward to Pauls's next project, but will bask in the NATURE MORTE'S dark seduction for the time being.

Something completely different

[belairjacques · 9/10 · 30 October 2006]

I caught Nature Morte at Luxembourg's Cinénygma festival. Wow, what a bizarre movie.

When it started I thought it was going to be just another serial killer movie, but once things move onto the tropical island it just got stranger and stranger. There are a lot of drugs, and quite of lot of sex, but it looks so weird it doesn't feel like its just thrown in to keep lonely males happy.

All the main characters are good,particularly the painter played by Laurent Guyont. This guy is just fantastic and I hope we'll see a lot of him in the future.

On the negative side, Nature Morte is clearly shot on DV, not HD, so the cinema is not the best place for it as it looked too "digitized". Also, the story is very complex, perhaps too much so, I think I only worked out the why Blanche does what she does on my drive home, and I'm still not sure. I look forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD to see if I have it right.

To summarize, this film is not for everyone, its very dark, druggy and sexy and the main characters are not particularly likable in the traditional sense, but I loved it. But if you do hate it, stay for the music, its great.

Horror Movie in Good Story Shock

[horroregg · 9/10 · 6 August 2007]

I saw his film last week at a test screening in London. I read some other website reviews on this before I saw it and to be honest I expected to like it. It as it had been compared to Jean Rollin and commented on by Jess Franco, two of my favourite lunatic directors. Buit I didn't like it, I loved it.

A word of warning, it's a pretty complex tale for a low budget horror flic and you really have to watch, the guy in front of me didn't understand it at all. Perhaps it was George Bush.

But, I like complicated movies as long as they make sense, and this does, and it's got lashings of kinky lesbians and general sex and violence.

A story and sex and violence? In the same film? Shurley shome mishtake? And there's more....it's got a fantastic villain in the skeletal Frenchie Laurent Guyon, and a really great sultry female lead in Carole Derrien as his bonk- anything-mentalist girlfriend.

Nature Morte is a massively ambitious project, get this: it takes place in London, France and Asia and features cool old cars, weird costumes (check out Lec's suit), massive houses, a boat, some pretty seamless SFX, and it looks terrific (particularly for a DV movie) with a lot of wild use of colours. Oh yes, and the excellent score is by ex-Banshee Steven Severin and his missus, Arban Severin.

Before I get too carried away, there are some so-so bits, and the budget occasionally creaks under the strain of something that was probably written with a much, much bigger production in mind.

But it's original, and that's a big big plus, there's nothing like this out there. A refreshing change from the current crop of Hostel copies, oh- so predictable Hills Have Zombie Saws III and desperately unfunny horror comedies (Severance excluded, I loved that one).

As it turned out, Nature Morte isn't really much like Rollin (apart from the kinky lesbians), and it's less like Franco (not enough kinky lesbians for that) but, I tell you what, I absolutely loved it, and not just because of the kinky lesbians. Highly recommended.

Dark, chilling and erotic - a modern Dorian Gray

[ohyena · 9/10 · 6 February 2007]

I caught this a London preview and I was really impressed. What I thought initially was going to be murder romp had me gripped as an intriguing story unfolded. It kept me guessing and there's a supernatural twist to it that I was not expecting. It is so refreshing to find a such strong storyline, all too often films rely on blood and shocks alone.

I found it reminiscent of Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray", the link to the portrait that holds sway over the personality of the killer. This took me a while to pick up on but it is the clever twist the tale. There is also a very haunting dream sequence that rather reminded me of Corman's "Masque of the Red Death", good company to be in.

The film is very atmospheric, madly decadent, stylish and erotic. Everyone seems just so damned cool! There is a brooding darkness that pervades the movie and the score is very "Twin Peaks" - absolutely right for this genre.

The first victim, Livia, is so convincing, her screams are as utterly blood curdling as her demise is disturbing. Artist Lec is one of the best screen psychos I have ever seen, there is something just so eerie about him - and his dance, well you just have to see it.

You really should check this one out when you get a chance.

Thriller doesn't do Nature Morte justice.

[heenz-war-pig · 9/10 · 3 August 2007]

I have been lucky enough to see this film early and it outclasses pathetic horrors such as 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge'. Not only is this film classy, it also doesn't rely on special effects to cover up the mediocre storyline, special effects and stupid monsters aren't needed because the plot itself holds the viewer in suspense. The whole connection between the murderer and the painting is simply ingenious and is unique and brings a whole new perspective to the Horror/Thriller genre. The Thailand sequences are stunning and believable, unlike other horrors, as the film ventures into the darker districts of Thailand, and all of the sex and drugs that would take place, unlike 'The Grudge' where you're supposed to believes a blue Japanese kid with an annoying gagging sound is going to kill you. All in all, my verdict is that this film is unique and, as I said, brings a whole new perspective to the genre.