Turns out that Rizzcotti is a made-up nonsense word that sounds foreign but means nothing. This kind of pretentious trick for a title goes back decades and was already stale back then, so stop using it. I also didn’t get fulfillment of the promise of the concept. It would have been so easy to do a party movie with people dying in the cheapest ways possible while fixated on a child’s toy. If anyone reading this review runs out and makes one, let me know, as I am still interested.
I am also interested in the direction Ferrer took with the project. Instead of churning out cheap thrills for chuckles, Ferrer goes full experimental in the underground tradition of the 60s. There are a lot of jump cuts, sound drops, and footage manipulation with some remarkable results at times. By using experimental methods with z-grade movie aesthetics, Ferrer takes high and low cinema at the opposite ends of the appreciation spectrum and welds them together. It’s a great idea, as all the flaws can become virtues if looked at in the right light.
“I was drawn to this movie because I thought the concept was nifty.”
Ferrer is the true author of Rizzcotti, as he did everything. He produced, directed, wrote, shot, edited, scored, as well as did the sound design, the sound editing, the production design, and the costumes. While this level of control allows us to view his vision without compromise, it also means if the sound editor goofs up a lot, the producer isn’t going to hassle him.
So there are a lot of nails left sticking up, and it seems to be on purpose. The constant defying of narrative expectations, along with unconventional post-production, will alienate those wanting a regular movie. If you are not versed in what to expect from an experimental film, you will react against it by instinct. Everything seems sloppy, but sometimes something really cool happens. There is a section of revelation in the rain that runs about five minutes around the 47-minute mark that breaks out into atmospheric genius. If this sequence were released as a short, it would be close to a perfect score. Then it just blows up into confetti again, leading to a deliberately ruined climax as the closing credits roll. It is more of a thriller than a horror movie, avoiding any conventional gore and not milking the supernatural elements to their potential. But it was Ferrer skipping the easy choices that makes Rizzcotti worth the time of the odd film adventurer looking for a raw trek into grade-Z decontextualization. Still a mess, but a mess with promise.
"…takes high and low cinema at the opposite ends of the appreciation spectrum and welds them together."
