Overview: In a frozen forest, a solitary drifter follows a ghostly Old Man from a rocking chair to a ruined hotel, lured by silence and eerie self-portraits.

Blu-ray Verdict: In the dead of a bitter winter, a solitary drifter (Alf Lamers) trudges through a silent forest, fleeing the wreckage of his past life. On his back rests a rucksack adorned with pans and cans that click and clang with every step, a sharp metallic rhythm echoing in the white void. As the storm intensifies and daylight fades, he encounters an impossibility: an Old Man (Mario Lucente), sitting in a rocking chair half-buried in the snow.

The Old Man is wrapped in a heavy, archaic WWII soldier’s coat; he does not shiver, and no white breath escapes his lips in the freezing air. In his lap, he clutches a bundle of disturbing charcoal sketches--self-portraits showing his own face transitioning from weary human to skeletal decay. Without speaking, the Old Man rises and beckons the drifter to follow, leading him with unnerving steadiness toward a dilapidated, vine-strangled hotel hidden in the trees.

Inside the frozen corpse of a building, the spectral guide leads the drifter into the lobby and suddenly vanishes near a dark corner. Confused and freezing, the drifter notices a section of the wall that has been hastily concealed with rotting planks. Driven by a morbid instinct, he pries the wood loose, revealing a hidden, airless crawlspace.

Inside sits the rocking chair. Slumped within it is a skeleton, draped in the tattered, dust-covered remains of the same WWII coat. In the skeleton’s bony lap rests the actual bundle of drawings. The drifter shines his light on them, realizing the truth: the Old Man had walled himself in years ago. The sketches were his final diary--frantic, charcoal self-portraits drawn in the dark, documenting his own starvation and death until the final page, which depicts only a screaming skull.

Please believe me when I tell you that the story born out through these cinematic pages that stoically reveal themselves frame by frame is one that will not only have you on the edge of your seat but will have you open-mouthed and on the verge of tears come the final act.

This is a movie you will want to watch again and again. The photography, the acting, the overall cinescape of what is being played out is hauntingly engaging, the soundtrack also. This is obviously not a family orientated film, but it isone that I highly recommend to all adults and those teaching, or simply learning the art of filmmaking.

Bonus Features:
Alf Lamers - This Old Man
Alf Lamers - Forest
Alf Lamers - Dam
Alf Lamers - Chase
Alf Lamers - Ghost
Soundtrack CD

Official Purchase Link