Spring (2014) Reviews

• Spring can be whatever you want it to be

  georgiamoxie2015-07-25

  I'll bet they have fun with this one in film studies. Spring can be used as a personality test based on how a viewer perceives it. Do they see it as a romantic drama comedy about star crossed lovers? Do they see a satire poking fun at the gamut of movies about an immortal falling in love with a mortal that they've only known for 5 days and be willing to give up their immortality for love? Do they see an art house style movie full of symbolism and bravo for abstract expression? Do they think it's just stupid and makes no sense? Do they just see a zombie shooting drugs in a church? Spring is a little bit of all of that. I was kept guessing only when it related to what the heck Louise was. The rest follows the generic formula for a romantic comedy that didn't really leave me satisfied when it was over. I am not really ashamed to admit that I was hoping she'd eat Evan at the end.

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• A beautiful, intelligent, thought-provoking film

  LilyDeSilva2015-03-28

  A hidden gem and easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The acting, writing and directing are all seamless. I admit there were moments, such as when our poor protagonist reacts to the truth about his girlfriend, which stretched the bounds of plausibility, but aside from those few scenes the film was incredibly real and fresh throughout. The film's brand of dry, intelligent humor was a lovely surprise. I buckled in for a thriller and found myself laughing many times instead. I also highly commend the snippets of philosophy, morality, mortality, religion and science which were sprinkled throughout the film and delivered with just the right amount of wit and depth by both actors. It really is a wonderful blend of romance and sci-fi, and this is coming from someone who loves sci-fi and has a pathological fear of chick flicks. I highly recommend it.

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• A slightly twisted, supernatural companion piece to Before Sunrise? maybe, maybe not.

  adamcrossstills2015-03-21

  This turned out to be much sweeter, much more touching than I had first anticipated. Though the film takes a good half an hour to get into its stride it really is worth the slight uneasy feeling you may have when Evan first gets to Italy and you're wondering if it's going to turn into something akin to the Hostel series, but thankfully this is as far away from that kind of horror as possible. At it's core the film is a dark, fairy-tale like horror romance but it keeps itself grounded in ways that are really satisfying and could only be possible in the world of independent cinema because if someone else, other than Benson & Moorhead, had made the film it could've easily turned into one of those slick, Hollywood style fantasy movies with lots of leather, low-key lighting, vivid colours and fast editing. The film does have very dark moments, horrifying moments, but they're handled with a certain amount of grace and elegance that I wasn't expecting and you will enjoy this film more than you think you might. The lead actors are great. Lou Taylor Pucci's portrayal of Evan is wholly convincing, his character could've run the risk of being entirely forgettable but he's sweet and charming and highly likable. Nadia Hilker has been working in German television for about 5 years, this is her first feature film, and I have to say I'm a little bit in love with her. The personality she gives to a character that could easily have fallen into the realms of utter cliché is really, really refreshing. A slightly twisted, supernatural companion piece to Before Sunrise? maybe, maybe not. But definitely something different, at least.

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• Original cinema at it's best.

  white_water2015-03-21

  Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson caught my attention with their excellent debut feature Resolution. Resolution was a film that played heavily with the genre tropes yet I wouldn't necessarily call it a horror movie. Spring is much like that. It's not a genre hybrid, it's a movie that just forgets genres. It's unique. These filmmakers have a vision and they're sticking with it. They want to show you something new, something no one has ever put on screen. And it's beautiful. And it's disgusting. This is why independent horror is a scene worthy following. This is why I watch movies.

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• Little gem.

  kim_vanderlinden2015-04-03

  So, you're scrolling through IMDb top 250 looking for something. It doesn't have to be an awesome blockbuster or a life-changing experience. BUT you do want to see something decent. This is your movie. If you are looking for that run of the mill hack and slash horror movie(including flying heads and such) keep looking. But, if, like me, your looking for that tiny jewel you just so happened to miss, you've just hit the jackpot. The beginning of the movie is raw and slow. But not too raw or slow. However, slow and raw enough that pop-corn munching blockbuster- loving idiots will be bored. Movies that start like this can develop in works that make you feel like hell for 2 hours and then leave you with nothing. So, I started doubting whether this movie was going to be too much "slice of life". But then... You are rewarded for putting up with harsh reality. When the main characters are introduced to each other this movie changes. The dialogue is fascinating. The plot is introduced quickly yet gently, and completely sucks you in. You're on a creepy ride which you think might break down at any moment...But it doesn't. The movie really keeps momentum and leaves you with a satisfying experience. The characters are fleshed out well and the "horror" part eases in smoothly. All in all, I would watch this movie again just to see my loved ones react to it. Watch this movie, and be positively surprised, you have just found yourself a little gem.

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