"Chronicle" by Josh Trank - movie reveiw

If you are tired of teenage superheroes and "origination" stories, or from the trendy hide-and-seek hysteria, "Chronicle" is probably not on your list of titles that you must have to watch. This understandable, yet sparkling reaction, however, is to turn your back on one of the few films that offer a truly fresh, interesting, and as far as possible, realistic look at the subject. And not only. At the beginning, "Chronicle" follows the classic superheroic story of the tortured teenager. The main character, Andrew, is a "unpopular" young man, bullied in school by his classmates, and at home by his father, who sues him physically and mentally, and accuses him of his mother's extremely poor health. The only person who can go for something like Andrew's friend is his cousin Matt.

Matt is concerned about Andrew, who has become even more distant, ever hiding behind his camera, documenting everything that's going on in his life. To get him out of his shell, Matt takes Andrew to a party where both have a fiasco. In the evening, however, it does not end with this. Together with their classmate Steve, they find a strange hole in the middle of the forest. By entering to explore, the three encounter something extraordinary and inexplicable, which forever changes their lives, giving them telekinetic abilities. Unlike all such films, however, here "Chronicle" takes on a far more realistic (as far as possible) path. For the three, the acquired power has no responsibilities. Instead of having their superhero costumes and engaging in crime fighting, the youngsters do what every normal teenager would do - using their powers (including the possibility of flying) for their own fun and, of course, to make the number of strangers.

One day, however, the toy gets mad when Andrew uses his power on a car that provokes them on the road, causing a serious accident. This incident makes Matt and Steve draft rules and limits on what and how they can use their powers, but for the mentally stingy Andrew this is the beginning of his downhill sloping turn into a villain. Something that at least I have not seen presented so well and plausibly in a movie of recent years. But here is the time to say that, despite the obvious parallels of superhero movies, we can not easily define "Chronicle" as an alternative representative of the genre and many people will be pleased to find themes and ideas that are beyond the genre. Topics, philosophical ideas and reflections, such as those about the maturation and awareness of circumstances that define us as personalities, about "pure will," "over man" and "apex" predators and, of course, about friendship - what it means and what derives from it. Before I finish, I have to say a few words about the "found footage" of the film's presentation. In recent years, this style has become more than annoying, but we can not deny that at certain times it is extremely effective. Specifically for this film, it works, all the more that the authors have found an interesting way to break the model - by developing their abilities in the film, Andrew develops his ability to control the camera with his forces without requiring special attention.

The authors, however, have taken another decision related to this technique, which I personally think is a minus, and makes me think that the film would work just as well (if not more) if it was shot in a traditional style. This solution is the skipping point of view between different sources, however short. First is the camera of Matt's girlfriend (viewpoint sucked in by fingers only to get a better idea of ​​the character), and in the end of security cameras, phones, etc, which spoils the feeling of personal and intimate insight into the story. For the finale, although it lacks real explosiveness and at times is too obvious and tonal uneven, "Chronicle" is an extremely fresh, intelligent and well-done fantastic thriller / drama that proves that with an imaginative and proper approach to history and characters it is completely it is possible to make a film that resonates beyond the sphere of its genre specificity.

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