Festival Focus - Echoes
Echoes presents an intriguing mystery, with deeply dark undertones and interesting visuals. We follow ‘Oliver’, a man trying to piece together his past whilst being plagued by unsettling visions and incoherent memories. We are invited into his thoughts and to witness his inner turmoil, as we too search for clues as to who the mysterious woman ‘Ava’ really is to him.
Anthony Kalmeta truly triumphs at creating an uneasy atmosphere throughout the film. We bear witness to Oliver’s delusions which are all expertly represented visually due to amazing cinematography and editing. The way in which the gloomy and dreary present juxtaposes the brightness of the ‘ past’ excellently emphasises the darkness within Olivers current mental state and his overly positive view of Ava. And the graininess of the TV which is used to transition between scenes perfectly illustrates the lack of clarity within Oliver’s memories. We are also made to feel extremely disoriented throughout the film, as to empathise with Oliver’s own confusion. It is through remarkable editing that this disorientation becomes so effective, that we are made to feel the realness of Oliver’s delusions, such as that, in one scene, there could really be two Oliver’s in one room. Indeed, Kalmeta presents a truly disturbing and disconcerting film which is only amplified by its brilliant visuals.
