Sonno Profondo (2013)
Stars: Luciano Onetti, Daiana García, Silvia Duhalde
Plot: After killing a young woman, a murderer traumatized by
memories of his childhood receives a mysterious envelop under his door. The
hunter becomes prey when he discovers that the envelope contains photographs of
him killing her.
My Review and Thoughts:
This film is what it’s all about. This is a shining example
of the reason why I love cinema so much. This is the exploration of the true art
form of originality and the love affair of a classic style of cinema. This
bleeds modern day Giallo rebirth and yet has all the wonderful trademarks of
the classic Giallo film. This is everything and more that I ask for in the art
of cinema and also in the art of originality and the true essence of cinema
making. Truly an amazing piece of modern cinema. A passionate example of
clarity in the reality of making a memorable piece of film. I could not ask for
anything different. This is something I will remember and will always return to
and also spread to others on what they should be watching and that’s this film.
Move over Sergio Martino and Umberto Lenzi for there is a
new stylized master of Giallo. Giallo cinema had away with strange musical
arrangements. Over the top and twisted whodunit plots. Thick red blood and
excessive violence and victims. Giallo gave amazing sexual imagery of a raunchy nature. Giallo films came through with an operatic type visual style that told a story in a dreamlike
state of being for the viewer.
What this film does is take all that is Giallo and the grainy classic style of
filmmaking that you would see at the grind house or in the 70s style of Giallo
films. It never shows the killers face it always shows you the perspective of
his hands, the weapon or his viewpoint. You get close-ups of everything he
does, everything his hands are doing and also the murder of his victims. You
get to see his perspective and experience and plus his ultimate blackmail, for
someone else is there and knows his dirty deeds.
This plays out like a cat and mouse game. The jigsaw puzzle
of a dream state. Close-ups, musical sound effects, a clock ticking, squirting
blood, screams and the music composed. The music is an art in itself, and an
experience that bleeds perfection.
I think the best way to describe this film is it's an art
house-experimental Giallo.
The music soundtrack goes up there with the likes of the
brilliant Cannibal Holocaust and John Carpenter's Halloween and Argento’s
Suspira. It truly is something that stands out and creates itself as a
memorable piece of music soundtrack.
The true style and brilliance of the film is that it was
shot in real-time. Shots that never were intended to be in the movie just
happened to be. From a trip on a bus or in a car. The closing of the film in
the cemetery was not staged at all they went there to shoot another shot and
found this car parked and leaving and so they filmed it using it for the movie.
The director just decided to film moments such as in the hospital which was a
secret, considering it was illegal to do so. That amazing shot inside the
hospital toward the end of the movie took place in less than five minutes and
it was created in a very stylized way that is reminiscent of the style of film
creation of Giallo. I think the wonderful research he also did to painstakingly
find the perfect color and thickness of blood that was used in this style of
film back in the day, which I feel he aces it perfect. He captured the very
vivid detail in the color and the thickness of the blood. As the director has
stated there was no real script it was all inside his head and he basically
shot real-time in many of the moments taking place.
Brink Vision did it again for me. I first explored there
company with the amazing piece of cinema known as A Measure of the Sin directed
amazingly by Jeff Wedding. I knew then this company loved and expressed the art
form of original cinema and gave passion and an outlet and voice to the
independent film maker. Sonno Profondo is another powerhouse of brilliant
cinema that smacks the viewer in the face and sends them down another spiral of
pure ecstasy in the art of true cinema making. Brink Vision makes a statement
and gives the film maker a voice to clearly state “I am original and I am here
to express myself.”
Luciano Onetti wrote and directed and created what I
consider, passion in film. This is a mystery weaved around the art of classic
cinema and the deep recesses of the murder mystery angle of Giallo cinema that
I love and grew up with. This explores all the art form of Dario Argento, Mario
Bava and Lucio Fulci. This expresses such Giallo masters like Paolo Cavara and
Alfonso Brescia. This bleeds the very foundation of the masterpieces like Deep
Red and Who Saw Her Die? and yet is so new and fresh and original for the
modern world of cinema. Giallo is back and I have seen its start in the
mystery, suspense and ultimate creepiness of Sonno Profondo.
One thing that’s an ultimate interest is that this was filmed
in Argentina but the reality takes place through an Italian setting giving it,
the beauty of the original Giallo film which Italian is the real home of the
Giallo and all its amazing glory. I think another beauty of the film itself is
that it’s set in the time period of the 1970’s which Giallo owned that period
of cinema. Now the true understanding that needs to be expressed that gets me
giddy and excited on the reality of this feature is the soundtrack which is
composed by the writer and director and he does it in a way of the extraordinary
master artist, the one and only Ennio Morricone. I was floored and in total
shock and numbness on the beauty of the soundtrack and the art that Onetti
expressed. I was amazed at everything he did to this film from the direction of
a classic style to the written reality of Giallo and the beauty of the music in
the style of the master, it all came together to create what cinema is all
about. This had its world premiere at Sitges in 2013 and has forever grown in
the hearts and minds of movie lovers and critics. I for one know this is what
true Giallo cinema is all about and to express the love affair of this style of
film is what makes and gives the viewer of cinema everything it should be about
and everything it should express. I love this movie and highly recommend it to
all fans of cinema.
Giallo lovers will be in heaven. Lovers of Ennio Morricone
or Goblins music will be shocked and in total amazement at the craft of Onetti.
This is being wonderfully released on a Special Edition DVD
by the awesome amazing and wonderful company Brink Vision. They bring out truly
amazing films on perfect editions of beauty and also the love affair of
original and thought provoking and cult like status cinema. Brink Vision knows
the diehard cinema lover. This is another classic film that deserves the
amazing beauty that Brink Vision gives to these modern classic pieces of cinema
that everyone should see. Now, not only is this being released on DVD but it is
also being released on a special edition VHS with a production of only 200 and that
brings the priceless example of the beauty and fan induced reality that this
company explores. I highly recommend supporting this company and I highly
recommend you buy this DVD and also if you want to explore the beauty of the
VHS in all it’s terrific wonder then also buy it. Below are links to the info
and also to the ability to purchase these products.
To fully understand and grasp the reality of this nightmare
jigsaw puzzle of a film, watch it twice and I find after a second viewing it's
explained more, because you pick up on things that you over looked while
watching it the first time.
Make sure you explore the beauty of Brink Vision and give it
your love. For they respect original cinema and cinema of the independent
nature. They are a powerhouse company and ultimate company for the true lover
of cinema and the art form of expression and the deep desire of cinema that we
cinema lovers understand, know and fall in love with.
You also get some great special features such as an Interview with the director which was a great insight on the films creation. Also a deleted Scene and Trailer and Teaser plus reversible insert art which you can see through the pictures I posted.
Sonno Profondo is a modern day experimental mind screw Giallo
that showcases how taking something old school and creating it in modern day
time still shines in the classic beauty of this style of film making. Sonno
Profondo gave me all the wonder of what it was like growing up experiencing
these type of films. I thought the way this was pieced together and crafted on
an experimental landscape of artistry in music, sound effects and real time exploration
gave the film a stamp of pure originality and also a stamp of pure cinema love
for the fans.
Truly a wonderful trip into the past and also into the
present mastery of film creation from Onetti.
========================
Info