Into The Chasm Image

Into The Chasm

By Alan Ng | October 12, 2020

Second, the film is just over ninety minutes long, and there are several ways to shorten the runtime to be more palatable. The most obvious is the improvised nature of the dialogue. Most of it is conversational in nature. Although it’s going for an authentic feel, the discussions throughout tend to ramble and repeat when it needs to get to the point for clarity and efficiency.

Third, the story structure needs serious help. Mike is our main protagonist, but he doesn’t show up in any significant way until the second act. The first act is more or less the set up between Chris, D. Swenson, and his scripts, but then the focus shifts between Mike and Mr. Christian for the balance of the film. Swenson feels like a minor character because he essentially bookends the movie. This “problem” could be a story choice by the filmmaker, but in the end, it has to make sense. These problems make it difficult to latch on to the overall story.

Look, these are some serious problems for any film, but I ultimately made my way to the end and found moments to admire in Into The Chasm. First, the film is ultra-low-budget. It’s simply actors, locations, and massive amounts of editing. In a way, this is a plus as Alexandre employs every guerilla video technique of the 90s. And in telling that story, he damn near used every tool in the box to get the job done in a unique and interesting way.

“…Alexandre succeeded in telling his story when others would have quit long before.”

Which brings me to the film’s visual style. Alexandre could have easily made a basic movie of people talking to one another, but he takes the visuals to the next level (for the time). He’s always looking for interesting angles, uses long shots to establish location, and plenty of B-roll to create exciting visuals and transitions.

Lastly, this is a film that takes us down that slow road to insanity. The art direction is probably the most intriguing aspect of the film. As characters talk, their conversations are visually interrupted with haunting images and video clips of other related action (often in the form of flashbacks and flashforwards). Alexandre also uses video camera tricks, green screen, and compositing to maximum effect… for a film from the 90s. There is a visually compelling music video in the beginning that I just can’t get out of my head.

I bring up the 90s only because the resources available to filmmakers today rival what the best filmmakers had decades ago. Making a film like Into The Chasm would be easy today, but in the 90s was a monumental feat for anyone with absolutely no money, and filmmaker Alexandre succeeded in telling his story when others would have quit long before. I can’t honestly give Into The Chasm a recommendation, but I know a few people who would be absolutely fascinated by the film.

Into The Chasm (2020)

Directed and Written: Joseph F. Alexandre

Starring: Kurt Mattsen, John Crowther, Tobin, Dan Taggatz, Chris Zobin, etc.

Movie score: 5/10

Into The Chasm Image

"…a visually compelling music video...I just can't get out of my head."

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