RESISTANCE IS FUTILE // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE ANTENNA (BINA)"
The moody and atmospheric thriller THE ANTENNA (BINA) begins with a slow burn quality, eventually steering into dark and horrific horror, as if a political cautionary tale crawled out of an old episode of "The Twilight Zone." There's a lot of nods to classic filmmakers here (I personally felt a lot of David Cronenberg seeping through), but writer/director Orcun Behram spins this story with an original voice, one that takes on extra meaning when you know exactly where its coming from. Behram comes from (and the film is set in) modern day Turkey, where currently (under the tyrannical rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) media is being censored daily. Over the last few years, well over a hundred media outlets have been silenced, journalists jailed for not toeing the line. It's a time yearning for revolution and change, and THE ANTENNA has plenty to hint at, even if it doesn't outright say it.
Set in a high rise apartment building, our viewpoint changes several times, from residents of the building to the superintendent Mehmet (a fascinating Ihsan Önal, who we spend most of the time with) to the stubborn boss Cihan (Levent Ünsal). It begins with the installation of a satellite dish on top of the building. A worker shows up to install the dish, which will begin transmitting propaganda from the government as "Bulletins" that evening. Moments later, we see him mysteriously plummet to his death. The police write it off an an unfortunate workplace accident, saying that there were loose bits of the roof that broke off underneath him. However, when Mehmet explores the roof later in the film, he doesn't find any loose gravel. He does find a mysterious black ooze as well as quiet but distinctly human "voices" coming out of the Antenna. In fact, the black ooze begins showing up everywhere in the building, slithering its way into a bathtub as an unsuspecting resident prepares to bathe. It slinks down a wall behind a couple watching television. It falls upon an abusive fathers food right before he places it into his mouth.
As Mehmet begins to investigate the strangeness he stumbles onto more oddities: a wall of flickering televisions, endless dark hallways, horrifying creatures and dead bodies who have succumbed to the ooze. The bulletins continue to play in apartment after apartment. "Differences of opinion will not be tolerated" says the booming voice from the TV and, although not subtle, the filmmaker makes his point. This is a haunted house of horror by way of a political statements, from the controlling of media, government mandated "opinions," and oppressed young female citizens. Although not everything lands, enough does and the eerie air lingers throughout, sending shivers down your spine. Loaded with solid performances throughout, Behram's first feature is an impressive and sinister tale, one who's unsettling nature stays with you long after.
GRADE: B+
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Orcun Behram STARRING Ihsan Önal, Levent Ünsal, Gül Arici. Now available in virtual cinemas. North American VOD release set for Oct. 20th