Resonnances - Yann Sundberg

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Philippe Robert
France 2006

A perfect getaway for a group of friends turns into a nightmare in this amazing French micro-budget horror/sci-fi film! Thomas, Yann, Vincent and three female friends hop into their cars and travel to the French mountains for a relaxing weekend trip. On their way, a dangerous psychopath escapes from prison and there’s even talk of a ghostly female apparition haunting the area. After picking up a suspicious hitchhiker, a thick fog envelops their cars and sends them all over a steep cliff! Barely surviving the fall, they soon discover something even more horrifying. An ancient creature lives under the ground… listening and waiting. It’s ready to devour anyone and anything in its path and this group of friends is very much on tonight’s menu!

Poster

Theatrical Release: July 2006 - Fantasia Film Festival

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DVD Review: Synapse Films - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Synapse Films - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:22:18
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.95 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (1:58) DVD Release Date: December 14th, 2010 Keep Case Chapters: 12

Comments:

Advertised on the Synapse website as "Shot on non-anamorphic standard definition video with a very limited budget, RESONNANCES is filled with great performances, inventive ideas and some pretty amazing low-budget special effects. Mix one part TREMORS, a heaping helping of THE THING and add a splash of THE EVIL DEAD’s directorial inventiveness you get this ambitious love letter to independent DIY genre filmmakers everywhere!".

Okay - that's cool. We are always willing to give independent cinema an opportunity - especially on DVD. Yes, the image is non-anamorphic and the limited budget shows - BUT it is dual-layered and progressive with a strong SD bitrate. Strangely the beginning of the film seems oddly out of ratio (see captures 3 + 4 below) but the majority of the presentation shows characters in a more realistic appearance. This could have been an artistic choice - I am unsure. Obviously there is noise but also what appears to be grain and it is fairly clean. Much of the film is very dark. Frankly in this age of 1080P digital transfers and HD systems - this would seem somewhat out-of-place but I did give the film an opportunity.

Audio is about what you might expect - the surround has little separation and the French dialogue can be somewhat scattered - again due to production weaknesses. There are optional English subtitles - that, at times, appeared to be précised. There is only a trailer as an extra.

The film wasn't too bad - however my expectations were low. There is a spark of creativity in Philippe Robert's story and direction. I'm always up for a creature feature and even with the limited budget the monster milieu and atmosphere are surprisingly effective. My issue would be the lack of supplements and the price - which seems exorbitant for what we are offered. However, saying that I'd recommend to those keen on the genre and Indie cinema - also you should keep expectations low for the non-16X9 enhanced transfer. If you can live with this you may be pleased with the presentation.