Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse.
Distant Tales is a 2023 Psychological, horror thriller, directed and written by Shem Bitterman, and stars Amen Igbinosun, Carolyn Michelle Smith, Liz Fenning, and Tiffany Wolff. The plot is set in a near-future dystopia, when a worldwide event means people can no longer meet face to face, four stories unfold with unexpected revelations as the screens through which they connect hide the twisted reality of their lives.
UNDER THE LENS: Snapshot of an Era and Theater Vignettes
Snapshot of an Era: Distant Tales is very much a snapshot of the world we all lived in circa 2020, the mass lockdowns, where we saw deer return to cities and freeways lay disserted. The world we all lived in at times looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie, I rather enjoyed how this motion picture, which was filmed during the pandemic, is almost a record of what happened. The Picture is of course fictional, however, we often learn the most about a culture from its fiction, we understand Victorian London from reading A Christmas Carol and we hurt along with the characters from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
In much the same way people in the decades to come will watch Distant Tales and see a bit of what life was like during the 2020 Pandemic, see snapshots of the mental health crisis people faced, the landmark social issues, and the pain of loneliness many felt. Art is valuable for the contributions it makes to our society, and films like Distant Tales need to exist, to preserve these kinds of snapshots of an era.
Theater Vignettes: Director and writer Shem Bitterman, is a playwright and that style of writing comes through in Distant Tales, the picture is broken into four different vignettes that are all connected by the theme of the pandemic and lockdown. I really enjoyed how each of these stories felt like a one-act play, or vignettes, they are tightly focused on the characters and how the motion picture theme affects them. I feel as if this film in the hands of anyone besides a Playwright would have not worked, the dedication to the scenes and characters lent a realism and laser focus that I enjoyed.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The use of Zoom as the means for how the film showcased its characters was creative.
- I enjoyed the good jump scare in the first story
QUOTABLE QUOTE
Bunker Bob: A man can only be lied to for so long…
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
What was the lockdown like for you? Did you enjoy the time away or was it difficult for you? How did you handle it?
CONCLUSION
Distant Tales is a twisty thriller that touches on horror, romance, terrorism, activism, and psychosexual themes, we get to know all the characters in each story well, and you can’t help but root for them as you see them struggle through the difficult time of the Pandemic. Distant Tales presents a fictional account of 4 stories in the pandemic and each story presents the real-life struggles that many faced in the pandemic. From affairs to radicalization to illness and social issues.
Distant Tales is a strong picture, and one that asks us to get to know a diverse group of characters, while also making us take a look inside ourselves as well.
4/5 Stars