Director – Bertrand Mandico (Dead Flash, After Blue)
Starring – Pauline Lorillard (Apocalypse After, Up the Mountain), Vimala Pons (Struggle for Life, The Sweet Escape), and Diane Rouxel (Standing Tall, The Smell of Us)
Release Date – 2017
Rating – 2.5/5
Vinegar Syndrome has brought a lot of different movies to my attention. They started bringing exploitation, sci-fi, and horror to the masses through their own releases and as they grew so did their influence. Over the last year or so they have put a lot of focus in their partner labels to bring even more films to our attention.
A month or so back I saw that Vin Syn had released a special limited edition slipcover for the Altered Innocence release of the 2017 French film The Wild Boys. I had never heard of this one beforehand so I went ahead and added it to my cart. I had no idea what kind of movie this was but it was an experience to say the least.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of adolescent boys who go on a boat trip with a harsh sea-captain to a magic island filled with wonders and mysteries. However, their interest in the occult and the mysteries of the islands results in a murder. **Spoiler Alert**
I knew The Wild Boys was not going to be the typical horror film I usually review. In fact, it was one of the strangest films I had reviewed in recent years. I wouldn’t say it was a bad flick but I’m too fucking stupid to appreciate it.
The acting in this one is great. The young boys, which was portrayed by female actresses, is all into their performances. They dedicate their everything to their roles and it shows. The supporting cast is just as great. There is no weak links in this film but some of the characters are more enjoyable than the rest. The story for this one is a little difficult to follow but it is extremely clever. It has an arthouse/experimental mentality that some people enjoy but I found myself just watching the beautiful shot scenes play out with no real interest in the story. If it was a little more straight forward I could have enjoyed it but the way it is just wasn’t my thing.
Finally, the film has some beautiful cinematography and a few scenes with prosthetic effects but it’s not really bloody or gory. Overall, The Wild Boys is a beautifully shot piece that some will thoroughly enjoy while some, like myself, will not fully understand or appreciate. It’s a cool addition to the collection but I’ll never watch it again.
