The Loved Ones

Released: 2009

Directed by: Sean Byrne

Starring: Xavier Samuel, Jessica McNamee, Richard Wilson, Victoria Thaine, Robin McLeavy, John Brumpton

Genre: Horror

With TIFF having come and gone, now seems like the perfect time to review the films that I had grown to love, hate or anything in-between.  I had the opportunity to watch a little bit of everything this year: a Finnish rom-com, Chinese pseudo-documentary, pseudo-sexploitation, another film adaptation of the last great classic horror novel, and a lovely Australian horror sub-genre.  While many of these films struck a note, the latter is one genre film that exceeded all of my expectations and more.  It's impossible not to love The Loved Ones. 

While nearly everything in genre films has been done before, The Loved Ones is a rare breed.  This sub-genre of the, otherwise, horror-torture genre takes on heights that I have failed to see in any film yet.  While Martyrs incorporated a transcendental, psychological twist to its torture sequences, The Loved Ones does so in a completely different manner.  The film centers around Brent (Xavier Samuel) who, after getting into a lethal car accident, continues to grieve for his father's death. 

Broken and suicidal, the 17 year-old not only has his own issues to worry about, but also the school's formal.  When Brent turns down Lola (Robin McLeavy), the quietest girl in school, all hell breaks lose. But this's where The Loved Ones shines.  Instead of predictably laying out the typical Carrie-esque storyline, the film's director and screenwriter, Sean Byrne, throws a curve ball into the mix, completely augmenting our, oftentimes, lowered expectations.

Byrne's deep character exploration is the highlight of this film and far exceeds any of the faux-character explorations seen thus far.  The Loved Ones takes the audience on a journey through Brent's life and the people surrounding him whether it be his loving girlfriend, confidence-impaired best friend, or the girl that will do anything to have him. Each character gets an ample amount of time to express him/herself and give the audience a peak at their deepest intentions and repressions.  With that said, the open-endedness of the interconnecting storylines leaves a certain amount of wonder in each character and allows us to immortalize them with total ease.

As mentioned before, The Loved Ones does have scenes of torture, but they never become a focus of the film.  In fact, these bloody, violent moments only add to Lola and Co. psychopathic behaviors.  So, instead of simply including these scenes for tortures sake, they are used to further develop the story as a whole.  Impressive considering the over-abundance of 'torture-porn' these days. 

Adding to the allure are the talented actors/actresses who had the opportunity to take part in this film.  They never overact their roles and all are incredibly realistic in their representations.  Byrne not only put together a mesmerizing film, but found the perfect cast to play each part.  A rarity. 

Realistic, uncompromising, fresh and engaging, The Loved Ones is a sub-genre film not worth missing.  Whether it be the strong cast, superb character development, open-endedness or twist, this little known Australian horror is sure to surprise and amaze. You won't be disappointed. 

SHARP OBJEX Rating: 4.5 out of 5