Dark Hearts

'Dark Hearts' is a sumptuous and seductive film which sets the tone for the film from the opening scene itself. An artist named Colson (Kyle Schmid) paints a haunting painting as his brother Sam (Lucas Till) arrives from out of town to stay with him for a while.

Colson takes Sam out on the town and we are introduced to his art dealer (played to perfection, with quirks, ticks and expressions in her eyes as haunting as the paintings, by Juliet Landau) and the lead singer of a band Fran (Sonja Kinski) who Coulson quickly begins an affair with. His desire is only satiated when he has “captured their essence” in his paintings and so begins what is a rollercoaster of twists and turns in a film that plays on the audience’s expectations while delivering a Lost-Boys-meets-David-Lynch world that could have been plucked from the 1980s. A psychological thriller with plenty of murder, blood, brotherhood and art that is difficult to pigeon-hole into any category, 'Dark Hearts' is a guilty pleasure that shows what the Raindance Film Festival is all about.

Schmid plays a possessed artist to the hilt, showing a metamorphosis throughout the film that brings everything into question. A solid performance, Schmid is overlooked in the Best Actor in a Feature category in favour of Lucas Till, who may be sought after actor at present but provides a repressed performance in 'Dark Hearts'. Sonja Kinski is the breakout performer. Looking every bit the superstar and portraying the dark and mysterious Fran with ease, Kinski manages to effortlessly entice the camera to hover over like a spirit before setting it on fire and watching it burn. She excels in the emotional scenes with her manager and with Schmid, both creating an on-screen chemistry that crackles with deviousness. This is undoubtedly the discovery of the festival in a film that entertains in unexpected ways with allure, seduction, crime and betrayal.

Director Rudolf Buitendach has crafted a brilliant film which delivers on every level. Like the artist in the film, his canvas is filled with his passion and its evident that he knows what the audience wants and how to present it. Watching 'Dark Hearts' is an additional pleasure knowing you're seeing something magical unfold as Buitendach announces his arrival with panache and flair. A new cult film is born.

If you haven’t seen 'Dark Hearts', you will soon as it is destined for bigger things as are its talented director and cast.