Swift shot: Dark, blinding fairytale with a cerebral edge that will get you thinking outside the pine box. Interesting story, a throwback to the classic fairytales of old, and a reminder that darkness circles us all. While a complex, and some may find confusing exposition, real film nerds should eat this up and ask for more. I am sure elements of Ink will be spilled into some big screen films shortly. This isn’t a horror film per-say, but it is horrific.
Remember when you were a kid and you were still afraid of the dark? Remember not being so cynical, clinical and dissecting of all things creative? Yea, me neither! But, let’s say you still sleep with a night-light on – of course now you do it to lure the bastard monsters that used to torment you in your dreams. You figure, hell, I am an adult now, I could tangle with some stupid monster that gets snared into my little trap. Well, you’d be wrong. But, what Ink does is explore those things we can’t see – only feel – late at night, when those “bad thoughts” creep in our heads. Ink answers the question, where do these thoughts come from?
A great theological figure I dabble in following likes to say “thoughts are things” and Ink makes this clear in a very real way. On the surface you will think you are watching an adult version of the Child Soul Stealer from Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye – but, you’d be wrong. Still, this story will suck you in if you have ever wondered why some nights you have wonderful dreams and some nights you wish you had never closed your eyes. Not all scary dreams have to be about monsters rending the flesh from your bones – to some people just seeing an overdue mortgage notice is enough to send terror into the heart.
Ink is a complex, and sometimes over-done exploration of a parent’s love for their child and their own shortcomings conflicting with that emotion. With colorful characters strewn into the mix on the Other Side – some aiding and some hindering the bond. You will have to decide for yourself what Ink is really about, but while some parts are confusing and slow, and some of the acting is sub-par, I just couldn’t stop watching this one. I had a hypothesis about Ink and enjoyed watching my hypothesis unfold – will you get the dark secret of Ink right away or will it take you a few stories?
