the strength of the acting

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2006)

the BWP does little to terrify me, as i'm not convinced by the supernatural... relying so heavily on inbuilt fears instead of presenting a framework i can immerse myself in would always result in my apathy regarding "scares"...
having said that, BWP succeeds in a completely different way... it is (to me at least) a fantastic example of utterly convincing acting... completely organic and believable (except for kicking the map into the creek)...
having said that there are some memorable visuals, and the final scenes are creepy if you allow them to play on your fear of real dangers... by this point though, you either feel the threat is supernatural or not... i felt it did stem from an otherworldly source, and thus it was critical to the idea of what type of "horror" movie i was watching...
this movie is out and out a drama centering on group dynamics in the face of a life threatening situation... the disintegration and loss of the "public face" is brilliantly done... as a small survival drama, the BWP is bleak, unforgiving, and hard to bear...
it also touches on the impact of the camera, what we show and hide, how we see the world and our right to report from behind a lens...
i would never recommend this as entertainment... it is a tour de force, but it is demanding... watch with care...