CUFF 2016: The Lure Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

CUFF 2016: The Lure

The Lure... Wow, where do I even begin with this one? The Lure is the directorial debut of Agnieszka Smoczynska (I hope I'm spelling that right), and it stars Michalina Olszanska and Marta Mazurek in the lead roles. The film caught some attention at Sundance for being nominated for the Grand Jury Award, and winning the Special Jury Award. The film is a musical/horror film following two mermaids (not Disney mermaids, these are people eating mermaids) who become singers at a nightclub in the 80s. Yep.

Starting off, with any musical feature, the musical aspect of it should be addressed, as usually most of the audience will be the kind of people who are like me and love musicals. And at first I thought the musical aspect of this film was just going to be the concerts in the Nightclub, but no, this violent and very mature film has really catchy music and really well choreographed dance numbers, and normally that kind of blend would be extremely jarring to the point where the movie isn't enjoyable to watch, but it totally works to the Lures benefit. In fact, the musical segments integrate really well into the more mature and graphic parts of the movie in a way I hadn't seen before.

The Lure is one of those movies that only comes out around once a year, like Under the Skin or Ex Machina. These kinds of movies always end up being some of my favorites in that given year, because they show that the director isn't afraid to do something insanely graphic, the kind of thing that just doesn't happen in Hollywood because most big producers are too scared to let it happen. The kind of movies that are about self-discovery and the human experience - despite their protagonist not being a human, and the film uses its mature content to its absolute benefit to create an incredibly surreal experience.

Now, all that might make The Lure sound like a bore, as Under the Skin and Ex Machina while great films, aren't the most entertaining - and that's fine. But what puts the Lure a step above is that it is entertaining, very entertaining in fact. Like I said, this is a musical, and with that, the tone in this movie is really uncommon. Unlike a lot of films with mostly artistic and more philosophical elements, this movie also managed to have fun, it's characters have a lot of personality. In the age when even Superhero movies can't be artistic and deep without being boring and dull, this movie feels like it's coming out at just the right time with a perfect blend of fun entertainment and thought provoking art.

Final Rating
The Lure is one of those movies that I don't know if everyone will enjoy, it's a bit odd and may be too graphic for some. However it's a film that I will say that just about everyone should watch, because I guarantee you this film will deliver something you've never seen before in your entire life, either through it's unique concept or it's brilliant delivery of said concept. The Lure is one of the best movies of the year, it's right up there with Midnight Special and Hush, so you can bet that I'm going for my highest rating.