This past year, I’ve been reviewing more and more low-budget; I’m talking micro-budget, horror films and thrillers. And the more I watch them, the less I find myself taking easy potshots and the more I find myself admiring how much can be accomplished with so little.
Having no money really forces one to make choices that don’t come into play when you have 30 or 50 million bucks to throw around.
Which brings me to The Institute. I couldn’t help thinking how resourceful director/writer Hamza Zaman had to be to bring his film debut to fruition.
The film itself is about a young couple who have recently lost a child at birth that has left them emotionally devastated and for the wife, Marie (Victorya Brandart), it has also left her physically injured in such as a way that she might never be able to get pregnant again.
The husband, Daniel (Ignacyo Matynia), turns to some online research for an alternative method of conceiving and stumbles upon a convincing video ad for a fertility institute, located waaaay out in the woods (of course) and headed up by Dr. Lands (Mark Lobene), an apparent miracle worker in the field.
When they first arrive it’s almost like a vacation resort and they quickly get to know the two other couples who are also staying at the resort/institute for an indeterminate amount of time.
They’re constantly offered some kind of healthy smoothies and recreational swimming pool stuff and tons of hot sex – something has made them all extra horny, but, hey, when you’re trying to make babies…
All the while, the voyeuristic doc is watching things on hidden cameras and giving the women “tests” that involve them standing nude inside some kind of medical device contraption.
When Daniel gets suspicious, he snoops around and finds himself in trouble
That’s about as far as I’ll go with plot. It’s essentially one of those movies where you know something is wrong from the first frame of film and you’re just waiting for the big “reveal” at or near the end.
I’m afraid the revelation is not quite commensurate with our time investment in the story, but I was always game for seeing what happened next. It helps that the cast are mostly good actors and very sexy. It’s also a plus having the doctor be so damn creepy. I’m sure actor Mark Lobene is a nice fellow, but I wouldn’t want to share a hotel with him after this.
Yes, Hamza Zaman has used everything from a mostly one setting story, to some less expensive green screen work, to some not great make-up effects near the end. The cast also did their good work on the cheap, no doubt.
And for that, it’s hard to expect more than what is presented. They did a lot with a little.
The Institute is now available DVD, Blu-ray, and On Demand.
