The 2020 Final Girls Berlin Film Festival runs from February 6 through 9 and we here at Film Combat Syndicate were lucky enough to have remote access to some of the feature films and shorts.
My first film to view for the Film Fest was the Australian film Dark Whispers. This one was unique as there was an overall story that moved forward in between short tales. Here is the official synopsis:
When Clara discovers her deceased mother’s revered Book of Dark Whispers, she can’t stop reading the strange stories within its mystical pages. Each weird tale reveals a new facet of the twisted human psyche…or, in this case, the not-so-human. From the horror of grief to roommate living disasters, from existential dread to right-swiping vampires, there’s something for all tastes. The horror anthology is brought to you by eleven female directors from across Australia.
Each of the strange stories was more twisted than the previous. There was a little bit of everything in them: a creepy kid (Birthday Girl), a Tim Burton-esque claymation (Gloomy Valentine), vampires (Grillz), and more. One of my favorites was The Man Who Caught a Mermaid.
I enjoyed the shorts more than the overall story. The actress did a great job as Clara, playing the grieving child who is scared and haunted. Clara had to continue to read the book (if you see the film, you will understand why) and as a viewer I wanted her to so that I could see more of the shorts. But other than that, I wasn’t invested in Clara’s wellness nor was I pulled into her story as much as I was the shorts. It was a solid plot though as it helped to connect the enjoyable shorts.
Dark Whispers premiered at the film festival on February 8th. If you have a chance to see it, check it out.