Faults (2014) Reviews

• An Original Thriller

  parsonm22015-03-20

  I was very impressed with this film. We follow a down and out Cult novelist who specializes in understanding the methodology of how cults control individuals. The novelist is divorced, homeless, broke, suicidal and in debt with some very nasty former business partner when we meet him. When two parents approach him desperate for help, he agrees to help them with an extreme intervention with their cult involved daughter. The goal is to deprogram her. Arranging a kidnapping, he abducts the girl and isolates her in a motel room for days attempting to mentally break her down and understand her cult programing. It was engaging and completely unpredictable. I'm not totally satisfied how the story concluded but found the entire ride fun and intriguing.

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• Special Treatment

  kosmasp2014-12-30

  If you go for a treatment, you might look for something conventional, something that has proved to work, because it's based on a formula. This ain't it! Let me make this clear from the beginning, even if some might claim to see where this is going, you can have a lot of fun watching it develop and going to its destination. The acting is really great and even if the main character is a bit unlikeable, he still is able to pull quite a few things off. The story is weird and a bit all over the place, but it works for its purpose (downfalls and "duh" moments included). While not perfect, we need more movies who dare to be different. Even if they make us uncomfortable watching them

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• Faults

  Argemaluco2015-03-24

  I don't know why, but the cults are becoming a fashionable trend in contemporary cinema. In the last 5 years, we have been watching films such as Martha Marcy May Marlene, Red State, Sound of My Voice and The Sacrament, whose focuses vary considerably, but they all examine the disturbing phenomenon of brainwashing, and the apparent ease with which some people let themselves be dominated by charismatic leaders who promise some kind of spiritual salvation when, in fact, they only seek their own benefit. The film Faults presents a very interesting perspective, moving away from the "commune" and the specific details of the cult, in order to focus into the regenerative process of lost identity. And, if that were not enough, it also makes character studies about the victim and the analyst, gradually revealing their particular psychologies and the internal travel which took them to the struggle of wills which hold big part of the movie. Faults presents us a "hero" defeated by life... something like the classic alcoholic detective from various cop films, or the priest without faith who is so common in horror cinema, but even more down at heel (I point out the fact that Faults doesn't belong to either of those genres). This tortuous main character complicates the situation more, and makes a Faults a subtle and fascinating thriller, in which not only the victim's future is in danger, but also her redeemer's. The screenplay of Faults shines because of its precision and sagacity, keeping us in suspense during the whole film, until leading to a satisfactory ending. And then, we have the excellent performances, starting by Leland Orser as the main character. Orser is one of those actors whose names we don't know, even though we immediately recognize their faces when we see them in a film or TV series. I revised his filmography, and I confirmed the fact I had seen him in many movies, without specifically remembering him in any of them. Faults will undoubtedly rectify that situation, and I estimate that his extraordinary work as a "loser" seeking redemption will get him out of that limbo of character actors who always make their mission but go unnoticed. Mary Elizabeth Winstead also brings a perfect performance as the victim of the cult; she's modulated in her role, but she never loses spontaneity or passion. The premise of Faults might sound similar to the one of the previously mentioned Martha Marcy May Marlene, but its levels of meaning transcend the victim's mentality and offer more ambitious and interesting reflections about human condition and its virtue/fault of seeking spiritual fulfillment, even for the sake of the own identity. The screenplay of Faults might occasionally make a few small traps, but that didn't avoid me from liking it very much, and I definitely recommend it as a hypnotic and audacious thriller, specially to those ones who find the concept and existence of "cults" equally intriguing.

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• Great movie

  sammelb2015-03-10

  I thought this was a brilliant movie, from the bizarre introduction of a grown man trying to reuse a coupon to get a free meal and then being forcefully removed from the hotel restaurant to only discover he is the main speaker holding a seminar on mind control cults. It was a great introduction to the, main character and his struggle to recover from his previous success as a leading authority cult specialist to living hand to mouth trying to make ends meet. A reminder to pay his debt and a job opportunity to redeem himself, he is targeted from the beginning and must wake up before it's too late. Awesome

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• An Absolute Cult Classic...

  brightmare402015-03-13

  Riley Stearns... who have already directed a few short films, Debuts in direction of real length movies with this movie. The story revolve around a cult group called Faults and two characters... Ansel Roth who is a former very famous expert on cults and psychology... and Claire whose parents approach Ansel in desperation to get their daughter back from the cult... Ansel... who too is desperate for some money accepts the offer... but the story takes a seriously amazing turn when we see that this is way more than just a treatment. direction is pretty awesome for a Debutant... acting is really very good... Stearns proves to be a promising director by making a great classic about cults....

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