Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Tunnel - Dare To Enter...

I received a tip earlier this week on a new movie release that you won't actually catch in the cinemas, but it's threatening to become an almighty blockbuster nonetheless. 

"The Tunnel", a new Australian film directed by Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey, is being hailed as something akin to a revolution in movie making as it has been released onto the web entirely free and entirely legally.



The guff on the film is thus;

In 2007 the New South Wales government suddenly scrapped a plan to utilise the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath Sydney. In 2008, chasing rumours of a government cover-up and urban legends surrounding the sudden backflip, investigative journalist Natasha Warner led a crew of four into the underground labyrinth. They went down into the tunnels looking for a story - until the story found them.

This is the film of their harrowing ordeal. With unprecedented access to the recently declassified tapes they shot in the claustrophobic subway tunnels, as well as a series of candid interviews with the survivors, we come face to face with the terrifying truth.

This never before seen footage takes us deep inside the tunnels bringing the darkness to life and capturing the raw fear that threatens to tear the crew apart, leaving each one of them fighting for their lives.

Stylistically, "The Tunnel" immediately reminds one of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield" - even "Paranormal Activity" but the camera work is so cleverly balanced between being a part of the story as well as telling, the jerkiness of the cinematography is kept to a minimum. And unlike those aforementioned Hollywood block busters, this film goes much further emotionally. There is an unnerving tension right from the beginning, due in large part to the essentially unknown cast, who each deliver outstanding performances. It's 'interview' styled doco is paced brilliantly and you frequently experience moments of breathlesness. The underground settings are haunting in their presentation and the dark that both the characters and we, the audience, experience borders on the truly terrifying. It's a marvelous achievement and one that is significant in changing the landscape in how we watch and appreciate media.

Once I downloaded the movie and put it onto a DVD, I sat down in my lounge and enjoyed it in the punchy 6.1 splendour of my own home theater system. I had to peel myself from the ceiling by the time the end credits rolled.

Distracted Media was established in 2010 by Tedeschi and Harvey in order to create exciting projects for new media such as the web. After years of working on various projects, the pair came together to collaborate on their ideas and give birth to a cutting edge Australian production company.

"The Tunnel" is their first feature film, produced under "The 135K Project". The project was founded on the belief that if we stop fighting the peer to peer networks, they could become the biggest revolution we've ever witnessed in the way we share entertainment and information.


After years of being frustrated by what they saw as the movie industry's short-sighted and conventional outlook towards the online community, they decided to act and actively change the landscape upon which projects like "The Tunnel" are given life.


And they are capturing the attention of some heavy hitters in the industry who, it would seem, are now scrambling to catch up with this innovative duo and their exceptionally good film.

Seeing the film for yourself is simply a click away and all it requires of you is perhaps the motivation to spread the word about the project or even donate to their fledgling outfit.

"The Tunnel" is a totally mind blowing experience which will not disappoint. 

DFA.



1 comment:

  1. Hey Dean, this sounds fantastic. I'll definitely give it a watch. Best wishes, Darrell.

    ReplyDelete