Film Review: +1 (2013)

SYNOPSIS:

Three college friends hit the biggest party of the year, where a mysterious phenomenon disrupts the night, quickly descending into a chaos that challenges their friendships — and whether they can stay alive.

REVIEW:

Don’t you hate watching a film, investing your time in it, loving it, and when it’s over, the feeling of satisfaction escapes you. For one reason or another, the film lacks a satisfying conclusion and sort of makes the rest of it feel like a waste, even though it was an original idea. It’s frustrating but it happens quite often. With the film +1, it’s exactly what happens and I was truly let down by the end. How would you react if you ran into yourself at a party?

It’s you, in every respect, but it’s you from several hours earlier. They are doing the exact things you did at the time. Would you just stand back and watch, would you try to warn yourself about something stupid you did, or try to change the outcome of an event? Maybe your reaction would be much more extreme or would it depend on the circumstance? Many of these questions are answered in the film, it’s the “why” or “how” that’s lacking.

When David (Rhys Wakefield) visits his girlfriend Jill (Ashley Hinshaw) at college, he is unexpectedly kissed by a girl. Jill sees it happen and runs away. Back at home, David is devastated and tries all he can to get her to talk to him, but to no avail. His best friend Teddy (Logan Miller) wants him to get his mind off her and go out to the biggest party of the year. Unknown to everyone, a meteor has crashed into the ground nearby and has caused some sort of problem with the electricity.

They finally head off to the party and meet up with their friend Allison (Suzanne Dengel). This is no ordinary party, no expense was spared and it’s huge. The three of them have their own agendas and once inside, they go their separate ways. Allison is the awkward one who gets harassed, Teddy is looking for some action, and David notices that Jill is at the party. Things quickly begin to get weird when the power goes out. When it comes back on they notice there’s now duplicates of everyone at the party. With each outage, the time frame narrows between the duplicates and the real ones. With time running out and not knowing which one is which, they have to warn everyone and band together to try and stop it.

+1 has a fantastic premise which drags you into the lives of these characters right from the get go. The execution is spot on with great cinematography, lighting, and music. When the duplicates arrive, plenty of tension is built around the situation and you’re on the edge of your seat wanting to know what or who they are, what they want, and where do they go when the electricity goes out. It’s a really great premise with some strong moments. Each person reacts differently to confronting their own double.

Director Dennis Iliadis (Last House on the Left 2009) and writer Bill Gullo have crafted a unique and intense film but it all sort of fizzles out when we get to the climax. Everything just sort of ends and the audience is left with far too many questions left unanswered. They set up this big grand idea and it culminates with it just being over. It really detracts from how you may feel about the rest of the film (no matter how great it was) when it ends.

The party we are witness to may be one of the best captured in film and one you will wish having been invited to. There are a couple of bloody moments for horror fiends and if you enjoy looking at various nude female figures, then you are most definitely in for a treat. The film really is an interesting journey that only begins to unravel in the final moments. It’s a recommended piece of cinema but beware that disappointing finale. ***1/2 (out of 5)

+1 (2013)