7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.
Starring: Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Joanne KellyDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
“Closet Monster” embarks on a coming-of-age journey that includes pit stops at parental frustration, sexuality, and friendship. Writer/director Stephen Dunn strives to transform the woes of teendom into a surreal odyssey of personal awakening, and the feature achieves a level of understanding that keeps it involving, but never illuminating. Dunn makes an effort to avoid routine, but as “Closet Monster” labors to retain an intimate perspective, it’s easy to see that many filmmakers have covered the same dramatic ground, only here there’s the addition of a talking hamster and a few moments of white-hot rage to give the material a boost in originality.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation isn't as vivid as one might expect, with brightness dialed down a few notches, which doesn't register as an intentional choice. Delineation seems to suffer most, with dense hairstyles and evening sequences solidifying. Colors are there, but rarely exciting, with primaries adequate, while more pronounced party hues are obviously memorable. Detail is average for an HD-shot feature, picking up on facial particulars and locations, while nightmare sequences tend to enjoy the most impressive texture. Minor banding is detected.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't hold any surprises, keeping to basic design that emphasizes dialogue exchanges, which sound clean and crisp, handling all dramatic surges. Music is also bright and bold, delivering a steady electro thump that brings out some low-end while teasing surround capabilities, delivering a more immersive listening experience during party sequences and montages. Atmospherics are communicative, capturing rainstorms and group activity with nuance and fullness.
"Closet Monster" isn't an After School Special, but it periodically tests the comfort of cliché. However, Dunn is sharp enough to reinforce Oscar's mission of self, looking to art and communication to keep the character an open book impatiently waiting for adulthood. "Closet Monster" finds dramatic depth in quiet, more introspective moments, which are more involving than any grander arc of dysfunction.
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