Directed by first-time feature helmers Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, “Freaks” is a film whose greatest virtues are inseparable from its limitations.
Using a tiny handful of locations, a small cast (albeit one that includes Bruce Dern), and some judiciously applied digital effects, the two writer-directors manage to hit most of the marks of a big-budget sci-fi thriller with almost none of the usual resources, spinning a tight yarn whose structural cleverness makes it easy to ignore the deeply familiar story at its core.
Bringing obliquely to mind the likes of “Monsters” and “Safety Not Guaranteed,” “Freaks” feels like a quintessential calling-card sort of low-budget indie, as though the filmmakers are angling for a shot at a studio project by showing how well they can tackle the form from outside in.
Judging by their results here, they certainly deserve a look.Although the narrative will eventually concern itself with government
Read full article