A much awaited sci-fi indie for sure, from early positive festival buzz to a neat trailer to a both pleasantly surprising & slightly underwhelming result. I had my doubts about Lipovsky and Stein, their portfolio is not exactly reassuring, but they have done a great job with little budget (which also, on the flip side, makes the movie feel restrained) & the solid cast, including an impressive performance by the 7 year old Lexy Kolker, helps greatly.
"Freaks" is a take on mutant mythos, much like the more shinier "X-Men" movies, but this time freshened up by some different creative decisions in script writing. However, as the story unraveled, sadly, it turned out that the questions asked were more interesting than the answers received. The filmmakers had nailed the world-building during the first half, structuring the plot carefully, giving it piece by piece. Themes like childhood curiosity, extreme parenting & dystopian horrors are explored. The lesser flaw is the pacing, it's a slow-burn long before it is action, but it's never really boring. The big flaw, though, is how actually straight forward and routine the story is, hidden carefully behind the aforementioned world-building. Clever choices, but the resolution/s in the story are therefore less surprising and less impactful. Nevertheless, we have an interesting main hero, Chloe, a 7 years old girl whose head we live in throughout the movie. Most of the characters were decent if a little (or more) clichéic & the performances carrying them - great. For one I feel like Bruce Dern literally never fails. "Freaks" are clothed in a fine cinematography that doesn't exactly excel, but, given the budget, the production design, FX and editing is well done and do not ruin or damage the viewing experience.
"Freaks" has a handful of great elements but doesn't quite pack the punch it promises to. Originality is something it seems to possess, but, as the credits are rolling and I put the whole thing together in retrospect, it's more convential than it wants to be. This goes out as a recommendation to the fans of ambitious sci-fi indies, non-Hollywood superhero movies & mysterious little thrillers. My rating: 7/10.
