Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Vinyan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 8, 2011

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Belgian director Fabrice Du Welz's "Vinyan: Lost Souls" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include a standard making of feturette and two theatrical trailers. In English, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Emmanuelle Beart as Jeanne

Note: The film review below was initially published for the British Blu-ray release of Vinyan: Lost Souls, courtesy of Revolver Entertainment.

It is quite possible that Belgian director Fabrice Du Welz’s Vinyan: Lost Souls would turn out to be the discovery of the year for me. Poorly marketed by its distributors and badly misinterpreted by a number of critics, this is a film that absolutely transcends genre limitations, which is undoubtedly the reason why many have had a difficult time deconstructing it.

Jeanne (Emmanuelle Beart, La belle noiseuse) and Paul (Rufus Sewell, Dark City) have lost their only son in a terrible tsunami disaster. Time has passed, and they rarely mention the tragedy anymore, but both know that the other constantly thinks about it.

During a charity event in Thailand, Jeanne sees a documentary film about orphans living in Burma and convinces herself that one of the children in the film is her son. To help his wife calm down, Paul contacts a local trafficker, Thaksin Gao (Petch Osathanugrah), and quickly arranges a trip to Burma, where the film was supposedly shot.

The journey through the jungle is horrific. Jeanne slowly begins to lose her mind, while Paul repeatedly questions his decision to trust her instincts. At the same time, Thaksin Gao and one of his captains decide to extort the couple and force them to turn against each other.

Fabrice Du Welz’s Vinyan: Lost Souls reminded me about two powerful European films - Michael Haneke’s Time of the Wolf and Claire Denis’ L’intrus. It drains you emotionally; it completely distorts your perceptions about reality and then leaves you pondering what it means to remain human when tragedy has struck. Yes, Vinyan: Lost Souls is a horror film, but it is not the flashy type of horror you would see in Hollywood produced films; it is the type of horror that quietly enters your mind when hope invites it.

The story is practically unimportant - the exotic locations and dialog mean little. Vinyan: Lost Souls just as easily could have been a dialog-free film, and it would have had exactly the same impact on those who understand what it is that it attempts to convey. Also, the main characters have virtually no identities whatsoever, but this is intentional, as the film effectively walks the fine line between reality and illusion, which a tortured mind could rarely distinguish from one another.

In Thai culture, Vinyan is an angry ghost, one that has suffered terribly and lost its way. In the film, the two protagonists become ghosts - they suffer, turn against each other and lose their way. Eventually, pain destroys them from the inside out.

In 2004, director Fabrice Du Welz caused quite a furor with his stylishly lensed horror picture Calvaire. As a result, many were looking forward to his next project, Vinyan: Lost Souls, which premiered four years later at the Venice Film Festival. Vinyan: Lost Souls, however, is not as straightforward of a film as Calvaire is, and this has apparently inspired many who expected it to be to dismiss it as not living up to the expectations.

I disagree. This film is everything a modern horror picture should be – it tricks your mind and lets it be in control with the scary. You know, there isn’t a single director that could capture on film the type of horror your mind is capable of unleashing. You just need to let it know that you are ready to be entertained, and then think about what you see!

Vinyan: Lost Souls boasts a terrific ambient soundtrack courtesy of François Eudes, whose original scores are featured in such films as Gilles Marchand's Who Killed Bambi?, Alexandre Aja's Switchblade Romance, and Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Inside.

Vinyan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Fabrice Du Welz's Vinyan: Lost Souls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Koch Media.

Finally. After the disappointing British Blu-ray release - which has the film cropped to 1.78:1 - we now have the film in the correct aspect ratio. Once again, detail and contrast levels vary greatly, especially during the jungle footage. Clarity is also fairly inconsistent, with the final third of the film looking quite soft. However, without having seen the film theatrically, I suspect that the clarity and contrast fluctuations are indeed intentional, reflecting the main protagonists' gradual detachment from reality. The shaky hand-held camera footage and the various color manipulations (overwhelming cold reds, grays, browns, and blacks) also add to the sense of chaos that permeates the film. Some traces of edge-enhancement occasionally creep in, but again, because of the shaky camerawork it is extremely difficult to actually spot them. Background noise and various artifacts, however, pop up here and there, and the more sensitive amongst you should notice them. This being said, there are no seriously stability issues. I also did not see any large damage marks, cuts, or warps to report in this review. All in all, though there is some room for improvement, I am definitely pleased to finally have this exceptional film in its original aspect ratio and in 1080p. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Vinyan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of Thai and Burmese dialects). For the record, Koch Media have provided optional German subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is strong. Though it is unlikely to test the muscles of your audio system, it will impress you with its wide range of subtle dynamics and fluidity. The footage from the jungle, for instance, has various special effects that add a lot to the overall tense atmosphere. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. I also did not detect any balance issues with François Eudes' ambient score to report in this review.

Vinyan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of - a standard featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of the film in Thailand and comments from various cast and crew members. In French and Thai, with optional German subtitles. (50 min, PAL).

• Trailer - the original German trailer for Vinyan: Lost Souls. Dubbed in German. (2 min, PAL).

• Trailer - the original international trailer for Vinyan: Lost Souls. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, PAL).

• Trailer Show - trailers for other Koch Media releases. (Approx. 8 min, PAL).

Vinyan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dark and incredibly intense, Fabrice Du Welz's Vinyan: Lost Souls should appeal to those who like intelligent horror films. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of German distributors Koch Media, looks and sounds good. I must also specifically point out that now the film finally appears in its original aspect ratio. RECOMMENDED.