Tribeca Film Festival - The Dark
One of the many horror films premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival was The Dark, a chilling story about a young flesh-eating girl who befriends a victim of physical abuse in the woods of her childhood home. Writer and director Justin P. Lange and lead star Nadia Alexander spoke with me about the process of creating this unique and unforgettable story.
Synopsis: Being a teenage girl is already difficult enough—so imagine also being an undead ghoul. That’s the horrible reality for Mina, a young woman who has been cursed to haunt her childhood home in the woods: Nobody gets in, and nobody gets out alive. That is, until she comes across Alex, a blind boy around her once-living age who is dealing with his own trauma. After she effortlessly dispatches his companion, Mina lets Alex live, and, by doing so, she begins to notice some old feelings, such as empathy and love, have resurfaced. It could be just a fluke—or Mina might be more alive than previously thought.
When asked what type of person is going to love The Dark, Nadia jokingly responded “psychotic and crazy.” Justin went on to say that an audience “that goes in with an open mind” and who is “willing to take the twists and turns with [the] characters” will love this film. Justin further commented on the fact that the movie makes audiences leave still processing and contemplating the story.
Nadia calls The Dark “genre-bending” with “a melding of different storytelling techniques.” It is emotional, dark, touching, and horrific. She further talked about the fact that The Dark is “a metaphor of abuse and the damage and monsters that come out of being abused.” Justin thinks of the ending as “bittersweet” and reflective of how the audience views the world.
On taking on her first solo lead role, Nadia explained that the creative process was challenging, complex, and fulfilling. Justin doted on Nadia’s commitment to the role, stating that “this was her movie . . . and she owned it.”
Additionally, Justin discussed the fact that he found it important to create a horror movie from the “perspective of the killer monster” because he knew that he “needed to feel strongly” alongside the character and to be with her “in her violence and in her rage.” Justin connected with this character deeply throughout his writing process, and Nadia fulfilled the role perfectly.
It was a pleasure discussing The Dark with Nadia and Justin, as this horror film undoubtedly left its mark on the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
https://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/dark-2018
