What the world needs now is slaughter, sweet slaughter like that found in the culture gap bridging euro-slasher Wake Up, directed by the team RKSS, whose members are Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann Karl Whissel. The screenplay by Alberto Marini, which was adapted from the original story by Martin Soudan, is set during eco-activists overnight invasion of a big box home furnishing store.
The group of committed young people includes Ethan (Benny O. Arthur), Yasmin (Jacqueline More), Grace (Alessia Yoko Fontana), Tyler (Kyle Scudder), and Emily (Charlotte Stoiber). For the first time in action, Karim (Tom Gould) wavers a little about what they are up to. The group, all wearing day-glow geometrical masks in the shape of animal heads, are protesting how the chain Home Idea is contributing to deforestation by using furniture made from rainforests.
“Kevin starts setting traps throughout the store…”
They will hide out in the store until it closes and then film themselves vandalizing the place in the name of the forest critters. Meanwhile, security guard Jack (Aidan O’Hare) is trying to calm down his coordinator (Gary Anthony Stennette), who is on the verge of firing his disturbed brother Kevin (Turlough Convery). Kevin physically retaliated against a young customer who goaded him, which is unacceptable. In order to keep his job, Kevin is now restricted to overnights with Jack, with no customer contact allowed, and lots of weekends, including the one he has tickets for.
Kevin is furious but needs the job to fund his one love in life, killing things in the woods using primitive handmade weapons. When Kevin spots the masked intruders on the security cameras, a series of bloody mishaps occur. Soon, Kevin starts setting traps throughout the store, using whatever may be handy in a huge warehouse of hardware and knives…
Wake Up is a superb, streamlined slasher with a simplicity that radiates the same universal appeal as a late-night In-N-Out burger. Finally, we see a film that has something for everybody, no matter on which side of the cultural crevasse you reside. If you are down with the cause, you get to root for the victims. Depending on your reaction to the purposely provocative title, you might also eagerly await seeing agitators be murdered in gruesome ways.
"…a corporate death burger with all of the best toppings..."
