Constantly on the hunt and suffering from hallucinations that drive his violent nature, an unnamed man is capturing women and savagely beating them to death. Meanwhile, a woman is luring men into a violent end, by way of her knife. Driven by the same force to make the opposite sex suffer, the killers’ fates intertwine. The two must face off in a battle to the death, in which they are forced to reveal the horrible truth behind their addiction to murder. 　　“Brutal” takes an interesting approach to its visuals, drawing heavy influence from Western “Grindhouse” films, using a filter to make the footage appear grainy, damaged, and with light and color fluctuations. Unfortunately, the visual styling ends up feeling misguided, as other than applying the filter it does not imitate any other aspects of the “Grindhouse” genre. Despite trying to dirty up the film, it is apparent it was shot on digital. The cinematography is also a step above most “Grindhouse” productions, with Takashi Hirose proving he has talent behind the camera. Exterior shots to those taking place in small spaces are all competently framed, lit, and transition well. The decision to add an effect on top of the work hurts the film’s imagery and even gives a sense of desperation to try to capture a certain type of nostalgia with the audience, instead of relying on its own strengths. It is unfortunate when one creative choice can hurt a production so much. 　　The story of “Brutal” is simple but effective, it does attempt some sort of social commentary about the violent nature of men and women, but it does not offer enough depth into the subject to justify the amount of violence on display. The film does end on a strong note with an interesting twist, with a reveal that is bound to gross some out, while giving others a chuckle. In spite of its simple nature, those who enjoy films that make them somewhat uncomfortable and enjoy the challenge of getting through some ultra-violence, “Brutal” poses a fun and entertaining challenge in that regard.

Constantly on the hunt and suffering from hallucinations that drive his violent nature, an unnamed man is capturing women and savagely beating them to death. Meanwhile, a woman is luring men into a violent end, by way of her knife. Driven by the same force to make the opposite sex suffer, the killers’ fates intertwine. The two must face off in a battle to the death, in which they are forced to reveal the horrible truth behind their addiction to murder. 　　“Brutal” takes an interesting approach to its visuals, drawing heavy influence from Western “Grindhouse” films, using a filter to make the footage appear grainy, damaged, and with light and color fluctuations. Unfortunately, the visual styling ends up feeling misguided, as other than applying the filter it does not imitate any other aspects of the “Grindhouse” genre. Despite trying to dirty up the film, it is apparent it was shot on digital. The cinematography is also a step above most “Grindhouse” productions, with Takashi Hirose proving he has talent behind the camera. Exterior shots to those taking place in small spaces are all competently framed, lit, and transition well. The decision to add an effect on top of the work hurts the film’s imagery and even gives a sense of desperation to try to capture a certain type of nostalgia with the audience, instead of relying on its own strengths. It is unfortunate when one creative choice can hurt a production so much. 　　The story of “Brutal” is simple but effective, it does attempt some sort of social commentary about the violent nature of men and women, but it does not offer enough depth into the subject to justify the amount of violence on display. The film does end on a strong note with an interesting twist, with a reveal that is bound to gross some out, while giving others a chuckle. In spite of its simple nature, those who enjoy films that make them somewhat uncomfortable and enjoy the challenge of getting through some ultra-violence, “Brutal” poses a fun and entertaining challenge in that regard.

A team of spelunkers, when investigating a system of caves beneath a small town, come across a hideous creature that can move through walls.

潘茜的人生如同困兽之斗，身心双重煎熬将她异化为戾气横生的刺猬——与家人争执不休、在牙医诊所爆发冲突、对主治医师怒吼、甚至与超市收银台的女孩剑拔弩张。丈夫科特利长久以来束手无策，儿子摩西终日缄默地游荡在街头，仿佛活在平行世界。唯有胞妹尚特尔以温柔织就的救赎之网，成为这个濒临崩解的家庭中最后的锚点。

潘茜的人生如同困兽之斗，身心双重煎熬将她异化为戾气横生的刺猬——与家人争执不休、在牙医诊所爆发冲突、对主治医师怒吼、甚至与超市收银台的女孩剑拔弩张。丈夫科特利长久以来束手无策，儿子摩西终日缄默地游荡在街头，仿佛活在平行世界。唯有胞妹尚特尔以温柔织就的救赎之网，成为这个濒临崩解的家庭中最后的锚点。

专营中华料理的桃源饭店以其招牌菜桃源饺子闻名遐迩，引得四方游客竞相品尝。与此同时，城中发生数起凶杀碎尸案件，坊间传闻这些案件与桃源饺子的肉馅有关。警方派出能岛悟郎（成濑胜也 饰）及其搭档严乃（岩田雄介 饰）共同调查，却毫无进展，还遭到桃源饭店老板陈源林（山崎荣 饰）一通暴揍。 　　另一方面，少女林为了学习桃源饺子（みひろ 饰）不畏辛苦拜在了桃源饭店创始人周独取（寺中寿之 饰）的门下，她刻苦修炼，势要将这门技艺发扬光大。陈为了保护饭店和林，更是不惜一切代价……

剧情/科幻/惊悚/恐怖

剧情/科幻/惊悚/恐怖

In 1928, Gaston Modot was on the set of the ambitious production of *The Marvellous Life of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Lorraine*, directed by Marco de Gastyne. During the day, he played a secondary role, that of Lord William Glasdale, commander of Les Tourelles. But at night or between takes, he immersed himself in a completely different project: the cinematic adaptation of a short story, *Torture by Hope*, taken from the collection *New Cruel Tales* written by Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam. 　　By exploiting a fortuitous loophole, the modest production of *Cruel Tale* managed to minimize its expenses by reusing sets (Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, Vézelay Basilica), equipment, some actors, and a smaller technical crew from Marco de Gastyne's costly film, which benefited from public and Church support, permits, and other conveniences. 　　*Cruel Tale*, Gaston Modot’s sole directorial work, is a film born in the shadows. The shadow of the luminous Joan of Arc, a heroic figure through whom the 500th anniversary of the liberation of Orléans was being commemorated. The dark shadow of a dungeon where heretics who refused to recant were tortured under the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th century. *Cruel Tale* thus evokes shadows through its subject and its forms. Beyond mysticism and its obscurantist deviations, the character played by Gaston Modot carves a path toward light, one that can be followed through a purely cinematic reading, where shadows, initially thick and merged, gradually separate and traverse nuances. Gaston Modot, the director, demonstrates remarkable mastery in composing shots inhabited by the terror of a condemned man attempting to escape. The handheld, trembling camera, along with equally subjective and hallucinatory superimpositions, follows the hunted man in a deeply inspired motion. 　　*Cruel Tale* was released in 1930, a time when sound cinema was at its zenith, celebrated as the latest technological innovation. To the extent that it rendered the earlier form of cinema obsolete—a form that would acquire the handicap of silence, later retroactively labeled as “silent.” Should we see, in the injunction addressed to the condemned man in *Cruel Tale*, an unconscious reflection of the condemnation of a cinema that refused to speak? 　　Mehdi Taibi