It's almost impossible to discuss From Black without mentioning the main film it feels so similar to, A Dark Song. You can throw a stone at any horror convention and hit one of the many people who love A Dark Song, but I'm not one of them. I liked it, there were moments in it that I liked a lot, but there was something in the way the material was executed that stopped me from loving it. From Black, on the other hand, felt much more satisfying.
Anna Camp plays Cora, a recovering addict struggling to deal with the loss of her young son. All evidence points towards him having been snatched/killed, sadly, but Cora becomes torn between wanting to hold on to hope and wanting to have closure. She's eventually offered a potential opportunity from a man named Abel (John Ales), a way to find out what happened to her son, and maybe even to see him again. She'll have to put all of her trust in Abel, no matter what happens around them, but he knows more about the difficulty of the process than she does. Is he trying to give Cora a gift, or pass along a curse?
The fictional feature directorial debut of Thomas Marchese, who also co-wrote the screenplay with first-timer Jessub Flower, From Black is another one of many impressive recent debuts that mark someone out as being worth keeping an eye on. The script manages to avoid feeling overwhelmingly grim and bleak, despite being completely wrapped in a shroud of grief and a hazy atmosphere of Faustian futility (a notion that this particular proposed tranasction will only ever end badly), and Marchese delivers some nice visuals, thanks to cinematographer Duncan Cole, to accompany the central themes, whether they are snippets of languid nightmares or blood-soaked consequences of trying to dabble in some serious supernatural shenanigans. You also get a nicely suitable score from Luigi Janssen.
Cast-wise, this is a case of quality over quantity, with the film generally staying focused on four main characters. Camp is excellent in the main role, believable whether she's shone in her drug-addicted scenes, in her grief, or having started to fight back for the chance to see her son again. Ales is equally good, although his role is often just the facilitator, and deliverer of exposition, and Jennifer LaFleur portrays a surprisingly patient and open-minded local cop. Last, but not least, is Travis Hammer in the role of Wyatt, the ex-partner of Cora who never managed to escape the hold of addiction. Wyatt may seem like an unnecessary character, but he's one vital component of something that has been constructed with an admirable amount of care and consideration.
With a runtime of 100 minutes, some people may think this is slightly overlong. I thought it was perfectly paced. It's very much focused on Cora and her journey, but it's equally about what you can find within yourself when grief shatters your life and settles in to where your happiness may have once resided. There are reservoirs of strength to draw from, but they can be almost impossible to see beyond the veil of darkness and tears, and many can struggle to have even one moment of clarity.
I highly recommend From Black, although I guess that those who loved A Dark Song more than I did may ultimately like this a bit less, especially if making the inevitable comparisons between the two. This is the better film though, in my opinion, and I hope it finds an appreciative audience.
8/10
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