Review of A Dark Song (2016) by Carmichael D — 03 Jul 2018

Hyper detailed with emotionally convincing leads-- Dark Song is strangely absorbing, while its ethereal tone straddles dream-like trances with hyper-surreal nightmare states. These stark visual and tonal contrasts are also somewhat depicted within the two main characters, an emotional devastated mother of a dead child, and a cynical, precise mystic bent on procedures.

Without giving too much away-- the two are temporarily aligned for a supernatural ritual. Each motivated by their own reasons-- the two are broken individuals. The story of Dark Song is very straight-forward and simplistic, but it shines in certain moments because of the amount of intricate details and thought put into the rituals themselves.

Whether it is the preparation or the consequences to follow, Dark Song delivers a rich world-building experience. No, it won't ever, nor should it ever win any awards for any particular element of its production, but striking visuals and the extra attention to detail really pays off here in making a movie that despite its basic premise, one that captures your attention for its duration and leaves you talking.