User Reviews

Marie (Victorya Brandart) had an incident giving child birth and appears she can't have children. She has poor quality CG nightmares. They find a place called The Lands Institute located in New England that specializes in fertility with unorthodox treatments. They go as a charity case. Husband Danny (Ignacyo Matynia) distrusts the doctor (Mark Lobene) who is cult-like and we soon discover has cameras in every room.

The film didn't build properly for the ending. Managed to stay half engaged.

Guide: F-word. Sex. Nudity (Victorya Brandart)

The first full-length movie from director and writer Hamza Zaman, who also plays Yogi, The Institute is about Marie (Victorya Brandart) and Dan Sullivan (Ignacyo Matynia), who find the remote clinic of Dr. Arthur Lands, who they hope can finally help them to have a child. His methods are bizarre, but are they sinister?

Of course they are.

Why else would be watching this movie?

Actually, the baby making on display in this movie is basically tripping out in a roomful of strangers while lights flash and a radiation machine does its scientific magic, which seems quite out of the blue, but I was there for it.

What I really love is that the official site for this movie is really for the Lands Institute, located in the gentle hills of the Ipswich mountains. Far far away, behind the mountains, far from the teeming diseased cities we lay our plans, says the site, which stays in character.

Everyone who attempts to make an ultra low-budget horror film or thriller hopes to make the next "Night Of The Living Dead" "Paranormal Activity" or "Blair Witch Project." "The Institute" falls a bit short in that ambition. Although another reviewer likened "The Institute" to "Rosemary's Baby" this film is more reminiscent of the films "Island of Lost Souls" which was based on the H. G. Wells novel and remade two more times under the original title as "The Island of Dr. Moreau" with actors Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando no less playing the evil doctor.

Writer/Director Hamza Zaman who also has a cameo as the Yogi has put together a well shot and edited film that slightly misses the mark.

Amram Bauman's cinematography is very good and the lead actors Ignacyo Matynia and Victorya Brandart portraying Danny and Marie are also good, and for the most part so were the supporting characters with the exception of the actor portraying Dr. Lands; he was not very convincing. The character of Sebastian, (apparently an early attempt at creating a modified human with for some reason fishlike appendages), comes off as extremely cheap visual effects, although the actor under the makeup does his best with what he's given to work with. The music at times is somewhat overbearing and unnecessarily loud and Mr. Zaman should have directed the placement of the music better.

That said this film moves at a good pace once the actors arrive at the institute. The opening scene is a nightmare sequence as Marie is being chased by some bad visual effects. There are some well shot sex scenes, and an orgy that comes out of nowhere and ultimately goes nowhere.

The film builds to a very good chase sequence where Danny and Marie are being pursued through the woods and fields surrounding the institute. Again good cinematography and editing keeps the audience engaged throughout this pursuit. The character of Buck who Marie meets when pounding on his trailer door looking for help is somewhat stereotypical but well played by actor Benjamin Curns. The last shot would have been really creepy around 1977 but ultimately falls a bit flat in 2022.

One hopes that Mr. Zaman gets more opportunities to work with higher budgets where he can flesh out his characters more and not rely on subpar visual effects.

The Institute is reminiscently similar to the eerie themes and imagery associated with movies prod uced by such film makers as David Lynch and Fredrico Fellini. From the trauma of the miscarriage to the deformity of the doctor's children, the movie is setup for a film buff to explore the surreal motifs associated with independent movie making. Victorya Brandart's lead role leaves the watcher wanting more. A perfect blend of chemistry, method acting, and a hint of darkness characterizes what beneath the absurdity of the plot is a wonderful performance.

If you are not a connoisseur of avant garde and creative filmmaking, then it is not likely you will be able to appreciate a movie of this caliber. However, if being adventurous and perceptive in the way you evaluate and digest film, then I would encourage you to watch this movie.

Dan looks like Ted from Schitts creek. Overall not a bad movie. Hard to find descent movies lately to watch.the dr and his minions were creepy and very robotic or alien to earth. Every time they went to the lab you could tell that it was in front of green screen. Acting could have been better throughout. Also how could they afford this retreat when they were complaining about hospital costs. The dr reminds me of the physcho dr from the human centipede. The ending is ridiculous. Could have done without the alien/mutant child with the crab hand attack. It had potential. Sorry to say did not rate high on thriller scale for me.

Too many problems with this film, from the bad GCI to the characters. One minute they love each other (literally), the next minute they hate each other. Also, why on earth would a husband, who complained to his wife that the doctor seemed to "enjoy" examining her, be ok with sharing her with the other members, one of whom is a guy? If the entire point of the visit is for husband and wife to get pregnant and have a baby, it would kinda be counter-productive if the other man got her pregnant. Amirite?

Also, the fish boy looked like something that a high school drama class would come up with, just saying...