Reviews

LACHRYMOSE PRIMROSE is a dark psychological film you're unlikely to experience in this modern age of CGI and fast paced editing designed for the viewing retention of today's fleeting attention spans. Filmmaker JD Ellenberger harkens back to a day of sophisticated simplicity with his unique sense of style and approach to telling stories onscreen. With a minimalistic set design of his own making (hell, in his own home), it's as if the entire cast and crew - and we viewers along with them - have been transported back to the days of forbidden speakeasies, handshake contracts and affordable living for the self initiated. A fully immersive experience, JD can spin an entire narrative with nothing but the harmonious combination of light, shadow and sound. The subtle nuances of atmosphere allow actors to shout volumes without uttering a word. Perfectly timed musical beats and orchestrated sound effects add to the overall affect of hammering home the absolute intensity of witnessing an unraveled mind pushed to delusional, murderous consequences by a man who once had life exactly where he wanted it.

While not your typical horror film that tells you everything you need to know every moment, the film engages every sense and allows the viewer to sit back and enjoy the journey as well as all the nuances beneath the surface. There's no room to merely be a passenger here as we're made to feel a part of the high-stake madness on the screen. The film offers a unique examination into the human condition that's designed to leave us pondering what it takes to lose one's mind when all seems lost, and reality loses its influence over an existence that's as dead as the ghosts which haunt it.