Dir. Pavel Nikolajev
Nova Automatics Production
2/5 stars
The sounds of heavy breathing fill the atmosphere. His eyes open to the realization that he is no longer one with his body. He attempts to scream, but he lacks the ability. It is this horrifying feeling of entrapment that “Headsome” guides the viewer into experiencing.
“Headsome” is a suspenseful thriller that focuses on two brothers, Mark and Arthur, who reconnect after Arthur returns from his vaguely scientific experimentations in Asia. After a freak accident, Mark nearly dies, so in order to save him Arthur attaches Mark’s head to a machine. As the movie hints throughout, Arthur has always been fascinated with 'monkey heads' and clearly sees his brother's accident as an opportunity to work on his findings.
Though the plot retains an interesting premise, the dialogue feels awkward and forced at times. Because of the limited character development, we are confused by the radical changes in behavior by our central players. In one moment the brothers seem to be close and warm, while the next they become aggressive and vicious. A little more backstory, despite an out-of-place flashback, would do the characters justice.
The music and tone are sufficiently creepy, especially in scenes where Mark is alone. These scenes are where the viewer truly feels the claustrophobia and confinement of Mark’s predicament. Mark must adjust to his new condition, and with the Arthur's help, we begin to feel hope that Mark will recover—until the film does a complete 360.
Now, I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but I will say that the climax of the film is both ludicrous and poorly shot. Both Mark and Arthur act wildly outrageous and unstable, something the viewer can’t understand. The stunt double used for Mark is clearly fake, which is bothersome to a 21st century viewer accustomed to never really knowing when a stunt double is being used. Understandably, this is difficult since William Haze plays both Mark and Arthur.
The strength of the film lies in the connection between the two brothers. While Arthur is attempting to improve Mark’s capabilities (providing him with mechanical arms and wheels to move around on), it becomes believable that these siblings have chemistry. Arthur really does want to help his brother. Unfortunately, Arthur’s descent into sociopathic territory seems out of place. Thus the two’s “falling out” does not sit right with the viewer.
Overall, “Headsome” is a unique sci-fi thriller that is too short for its own good. The movie lacks enough character development and much of the editing, especially transitions between scenes, seems sloppy. "Headsome" does not deliver much more than a creative premise.
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