John and the Hole

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this fresh new depraved idea! Surely it'll spark some actionable inspiration in some 21st century usa dimwit. Bravo!

I feel like this movie isn't so much of a statement as much as it is an exploration. Although the titular Character is John, there is sort of a secondary protagonist who appears at different moments thoughout the film. We aren't told directly what the relationship is between 13 year old John and this 12 year old girl, but it is implied that she is John's mother (in flashbacks). The film explores and contrasts two different scenarios: Being a child who feels completely oppressed by childhood, and is completely unable to alter the fixed way adults see him even as inside his own mind he is convinced of his own maturity. The desire to escape his childhood is so powerful it causes him to invent pathological schemes to seize control on his own terms. Because adults will not readily concede power and control to children, children usually submit and take their place until the reach a certain age and begin to question this hierarchy. John seems to want more than anything not to be alone, but to be heard. Scenes throughout the film depict adults cutting him off or discounting what he has to say, and it only when John takes control by force that his family will actually sit and listen to him. The female protagonist on the other hand is forced unwillingly out of the comforts that childhood affords and is thrust into the frightening world of adulthood when her single parent makes the sudden announcement that she is leaving. Faced with the fact that she will no longer have protection and advocacy from a fully grown adult, the terror of having to contend with the world on her own is the last thing she wants. There is a bit of "the grass is always greener" effect, and while John seems to have gained control and liberty by displacing the other members of his family, he begins to feel the burden of responsibility and self sufficiency that adulthood eventually thrusts on all of us. I think in effect the film was a reminder that children really do at heart desire to be children, protected and loved and heard, but not at the expense of being treated as a possession. There are times when John reveals himself to be exceptionally intelligent and adults continually refuse to acknowledge him, driving him further into isolation and resentment of the world around him. While it is fortunate that MOST children never enact such elaborate and dangerous schemes to feel a sense of control, I'd be lying if I said no child ever fantasizes about things like this. I'm in my thirties but can still remember the awful fantasies I had to have as a child in order to soothe my way out of familial anxiety. What some viewers might not realize is the movie is not so much to be taken literally. At least I don't think so. Viewers might wonder what did the family do that was SOOOOOO bad to deserve what John does to them? Is John simply a sociopath? I think the implication is that childhood can be like a death by a thousand cuts and even though it's usually not enough to push us over the edge, this film dares to depict the brutal fantasies that even the most innocent children can have when they feel powerless.

When I saw what a great cast this movie has I could not understand how it received such low ratings and then I watched the entire thing. There wasn't a boomer within the entire production as the values the movie portrays are new and part of the woke world. There's a 13 year-old boy who puts his family in a deep bunker. No reason is ever given why a spoiled child would do this. He starves his family while spending the parents money, driving the car and making a general mess. The kid is a sociopath without the slightest doubt but the parents promise to do nothing if only the kid would let them out. Maybe the filmmakers were trying to portray evil but instead one feels it is the filmmakers who are evil and the cast are idiots for reading those lines. These people only care how they look to the outside world and care not to even look at the problems within the family. In the end, I felt the parents deserved what they got and I wouldn't feel empathy for them if their kid grows into a full blown serial killer and then kills the family. This type of people, the world can do without. I can forgive the cast for taking these roles because there is so little content of substance anymore.

I wish I could have given this a higher score. It was well acted, interesting, great cinematography, interesting story idea and crap ending as far as I'm concerned. Sadly, society is breeding more and more of these soul less VOIDs that look like children, but there must be a POD in the back yard where something alien made this Creepy, empty, inhuman copy left with this family. And in this case, I totally do not get what was supposed to be his end game. His family are nice, educated and caring people, he wants for nothing and if some answers had come I could have rated this higher. I can't say more without spoilers, but I'm Pissed off. I've met kids like this and see more and more of them with each passing year and it frightens me. But that ending??? Seriously, Come on.. just Ridiculous and Senseless. Worth a one time watch if you don't mind being disappointed at the end and left with 1,000 questions and feeling Pissed off. Or if your a soul less human Void too, then you may enjoy this. But if your a caring person with a heart, this movie will leave you feeling angry and dumbfounded.

I hate doling out 1/10 because it's generally kind of childish, but I have to here because I would actively tell people to avoid this one. This isn't really a movie in the traditional sense. It's an allegory trying to convey or explore the experience becoming an adult. As the premise states a sociopathic or perhaps overly coddled rich kid dumps his family in a hole for the purpose of exploring the freedom of adulthood. That's fine, but there's no real payoff here, nothing is learned in any meaningful way. It, almost insultingly, includes a side story which also doesn't payoff, but instead vapidly goes "look look isn't adulthood scary!?" Yes it's scary. Duh. The problem here is there's nothing after it throws the allegory in the audiences face. I can't help but feel the writer had a half-baked idea and couldn't come up with the punchline. Instead the movie meanders along with drawn out scenes of people eating and robot dialog until it ends out of sheer boredom. This one is strictly for those that can enjoy films that are pure atmosphere and do not need substance.

John and the Hole is a coming of age psychological thriller that plays out the unsettling reality of a kid who holds his family captive in a hole in the ground. From my knowledge this was one of the most anticipated Sundance entries this year, and my most anticipated. I will say that I'm not disappointed. This is an experience; one that will either click with you or just be too much. Oscar-winner Nicolás Giacobone writes a great screenplay with such natural and unsettling dialogue. The comedic tone landed well with me, but I just really like a dark comedy. John is my favorite part of the whole thing. His character is so far from normalcy, but I felt a connection with him throughout. He's struggling with the concept of adulthood and responsibility that he resorts to a sociopathic nature. I loved the acting from everyone. A family that is so far from being close feels close in these strange times. At the end of the first act we're introduced to a new character and storyline that does feel a little off. I understand where it's going, but it wasn't exactly needed. I still didn't have a huge issue with it. This is definitely a slow burn, especially in the second half of it. At some points it feels like it doesn't have a structure, and that's fine with me. The absurdness just makes the watch more interesting. The cinematography is great, the score is really fitting, and the hole feels like a second home after a little bit. Not everyone is going to like Pascual Sisto's direction and what this film has to say. To me it has strong A24 vibes that will gain a cult following. Go and watch John and the Hole upon its release.

John and the Hole is elevated by its methodical pacing, pretty cinematography, and engaging performances from the entire cast; but the film is ambiguous to the point of frustration, and all these aforementioned strengths can't make up for the fact that it tests the audience's patience over and over again and never rewards them for it. There are several scenes in the movie in which a VERY intriguing character motivation or plot element will be introduced, and every single one of these moments is immediately forgotten and never mentioned again. I was never bored because I kept wondering where the story was going to go next and why John was doing the things he did; what role did his family play in driving him to his breaking point, if any? But my intrigue never payed off. I won't spoil anything because there isn't anything to spoil. There are no revelations, twists, or anything of the sort. The movie just plods along introducing a bunch of red herrings, and then it ends. This ends this film and my memory of its existence. The end.

It's an amazing unique intense phycological coming of age movie. It has a very beautiful story, a nice character study and a brilliant screenplay. Cinematography is amazing and so is the original score. John And The Hole delivers so much without any forced efforts. It is a captivating nicely crafted thriller but it's a slow burn and not everyone's cup of tea. I highly recommend it if you're into this genre.

Slow, boring and made no sense! Terrible film stay clear of it.

Oak Cliff Film Festival 2021 Greetings again from the darkness. Why would anyone be surprised that the actions of a teenager make no logical sense? Thirteen year old John (an excellent Charlie Shotwell, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, 2014) comes across as a shy kid, and a curious one as well. He's a talented tennis player, enjoys going head-to-head in video games with his online friend, and even plays piano. Despite his upper class family life, we sense there is something a bit off about John - although his busy parents are supportive and his banter with his older sister is pretty normal. But his emotionless demeanor sends our mind to dark, uncertain places ... places we hope John doesn't go, although we kind of expect him to. This is the first feature film directed by Pascual Sisto, and the script comes from Oscar winner Nicolas Giacobone (BIRDMAN, 2014). You should know it's not the typical narrative arc. One day John, with the help of his shiny new drone, locates a long-forgotten unfinished bunker in the nearby woods. The next thing we know, John has drugged his family and dumped them in that hole. That's not a spoiler, as it's shown in the trailer. When Mom (Jennifer Ehle, SAINT MAUD, 2020), Dad (Michael C Hall, "Dexter"), and sis (Taissa Farmiga, "American Horror Story") awaken in the mucky pit, they are frightened and confused. When John appears to deliver food and blankets, he offers nothing in the way of an explanation. As movie watchers, we have been conditioned to expect this type of situation will lead to significant violence. Instead, we watch as John steps into his newfound freedom. His image of adulting is what he's observed from his parents: classical music, wine, cooking, milking the ATM, and driving the car. He has bypassed the coming-of-age stage, passed "go", and moved directly into his version of adulthood. We know this can't end well, but John is thirteen and isn't mature enough, regardless of this manufactured freedom, to plan ahead. This is a wealthy family living in a glass house ... an unmistakable metaphor. A sense of entitlement and pursuit of money has distracted the parents from focusing on the importance of teenage years. Whether they realize this looking up at him from the bunker is debatable. John's story is told by a mother to her daughter, an unusual sequence that acts as an awkward framing device. Cinematographer Paul Ozgur delivers terrific camera work with the house, the bunker in the woods, and John's odd demeanor. This is an unsettling film that is more psychological drama than thriller or character study. It clearly borrows from two masters, Michael Haneke and Yorgos Lanthimos, but falls short of their best work (as you'd expect). Still, the film has a certain style, and reminds us that the moral to the story of a teenager's actions often boils down to "don't do that". Opens in select theaters and On Demand August 6, 2021.