Super Dark Times

Both a thriller and meditation on the loss of innocence, Super Dark Times is rich with the minutiae of a bygone era...but Phillips and screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski press hard against the instinct for nostalgia.

Super Dark Times perfectly nails the minute details of adolescence—a minefield of confusion about right and wrong that leads to all kinds of impulsive bad decisions.

The performances from the film’s young cast members are uniformly excellent, including Owen Campbell as Zach and Charlie Tahan as Josh. But the direction from Mr. Phillips is what makes Super Dark Times unusual.

The grey gathering gloom that hangs over Super Dark Times seeps into your bones.

Phillips’ collaborators work in harmony with the natural, nuanced acting; credits across the board are stylish and smooth, with lensing a standout. Also of particular note is the design; a rich, forest-driven colour saturation which suits the hooded houses and shadowy driveways of these traumatised teens.

Shot with the stoic confidence of a capable young director flexing his muscles, Super Dark Times is visceral and gripping throughout, its probing compositions forcing you to peer deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Phillips simply tries to do too much.

Secrets always find its way out! Actually not a bad film. Seeing the poster, you can expect the kids films like 'ET', 'Stand By Me', 'Goonies', et cetera kind. But it was a different. More matured kind of narration. Then the characters are still teenagers and as usual their mischievous lands them a big trouble. So the four friends set to wander around, but soon when they met with an accident, they decide to resolve it in their way. But it begins to take a twist when one of them goes berserk. Once again, they have to come up with something to end it all for good. It becomes more intense and ends with a decent finale. The casting was so good. These boys were really great. The story does not look that fine, but the way it was made and performances puts it on the top. Looks like they are future big stars. It was from a cinematographer turned filmmaker. It's his first direction and a fine debut. I don't know the title meant exactly what the it had narrated, but convincing enough. So one of the decent thriller from the year, definitely worth a watch. 7/10

Critics sure do have a thing for barebones simple indie horror with nostalgic themes. This story is rather uneventful but the 90's nostalgia and solid acting performances keep it somewhat interesting.

Saw this on the recommendations of the critics but found it to be a movie that starts with promise but by it's final act has become rather disappointing.

New England meats noir. Picturesque with great capturing of the mood and environment. My main qualm with the film is the writing and a couple key parts of the plot that make what was otherwise a very real and natural looking film feel implausible. There wasn’t enough character development or insight to explain one of the main character’s critical cracking point. Upside of the movie is terrific acting by young talent.

This movie starts out great setting up for what should have been a great story. However the second half squanders into trying to be a horror film with unbelievable villain and hero characters. The ending of this movie is one of the worst of all time. This movie is not good.