I never like to mince words on what I think of any particular film or DVD, and, under most circumstances, The Seasoning House (2012) is one of those flicks I can take or leave.
At its core, it’s a revenge picture (of sorts) where the lead character finds herself trapped in the black market of cold, cruel exploitation – sex trafficking – but, to its credit, it stylistically tries to be something a bit more: there’s the lukewarm suggestion of a kinda/sorta character study through flashbacks of how one young victim found herself forced into sexual slavery where presumably anything goes. The sad part is that, on the character front, it isn’t really all that interesting or effective. As a result, the script marginally lessens the impact of its central theme: sex without consequence doesn’t exist in this world any longer.
However, at all times, The Seasoning House is indeed brilliantly crafted, an impressive, gritty work culled together by director Paul Hyett.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or character. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Sold at a brothel deep in the woods to work as a caretaker, a hapless deaf girl must summon the courage to fight for her life.”
Angel (played with great conviction by a promising Rosie Day) is a young mute who finds herself orphaned in front of her eyes by the war-time conflict raging in her unnamed homeland. Against her will, she finds herself thrown aboard a truck and carted off to a nearby hotel, where the manager Viktor (Kevin Howarth) becomes smitten with her youthful, innocent charms. Realizing she could never survive as one of his house prostitutes, he instead takes her aboard to serve as a ‘caretaker’ to the girls, helping to make them ready for the vile sexual torture they’re about to endure (which basically amounts to shooting them up with drugs). However, Angel eventually befriends one of the captured ladies, and this forces her to re-examine her past and present while secretly plotting her future escape.
At its core, it’s a revenge picture (of sorts) where the lead character finds herself trapped in the black market of cold, cruel exploitation – sex trafficking – but, to its credit, it stylistically tries to be something a bit more: there’s the lukewarm suggestion of a kinda/sorta character study through flashbacks of how one young victim found herself forced into sexual slavery where presumably anything goes. The sad part is that, on the character front, it isn’t really all that interesting or effective. As a result, the script marginally lessens the impact of its central theme: sex without consequence doesn’t exist in this world any longer.
However, at all times, The Seasoning House is indeed brilliantly crafted, an impressive, gritty work culled together by director Paul Hyett.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or character. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Sold at a brothel deep in the woods to work as a caretaker, a hapless deaf girl must summon the courage to fight for her life.”
Angel (played with great conviction by a promising Rosie Day) is a young mute who finds herself orphaned in front of her eyes by the war-time conflict raging in her unnamed homeland. Against her will, she finds herself thrown aboard a truck and carted off to a nearby hotel, where the manager Viktor (Kevin Howarth) becomes smitten with her youthful, innocent charms. Realizing she could never survive as one of his house prostitutes, he instead takes her aboard to serve as a ‘caretaker’ to the girls, helping to make them ready for the vile sexual torture they’re about to endure (which basically amounts to shooting them up with drugs). However, Angel eventually befriends one of the captured ladies, and this forces her to re-examine her past and present while secretly plotting her future escape.
Frankly, The Seasoning House shares an awful lot of theatrical DNA with sexploitation films popularized in the late 1970’s and early 80’s where rape and revenge even made newspaper headlines. House posits a world where sex is not only used as currency but also as a violent means of personal expression for some burly, rough, uncaring men. All the women featured within are trapped in some state of perpetual victimhood while only one – Angel – has the key (literally) that could deliver freedom.
The problem?
Well, she lacks the courage to use it … until it’s almost too late.
Hyett directs from a script that he helped craft (he’s sharing credit with Conal Palmer), and therein may lie the problem with House: there’s an awful lot of ambiguity here, and it doesn’t make much literal sense. Whereas the two scribes were possibly working in concert, I felt kinda/sorta left out on the particulars that might’ve given greater definition to this particular time and place in existence, and the missing context kept me from understanding succinctly everything I felt necessary to draw me into the story.
See, there’s an overwhelming vagueness to the whole affair that kept forcing me to ask questions I couldn’t answer. These details might not have been central to the story being told, but the ongoing lack of clarity pushed me to wonder what the precise parameters of this world were. For starters, when are we? Is this the past? Is it some glimpse at a possible tomorrow? If this were stated, then I completely missed it, and I kept wanting to know. There’s part of me that suspects it could’ve been either possibility – never a good position to be in as a viewer – because the environment offers up clues for either supposition. Many of the men are soldiers who’ve apparently overrun another country, and they speak in heavy Russian accents … but, one more than one occasion, they’re shown paying Viktor in U.S. dollars. Where did they get those? Is this supposed to be America being occupied by an invading army? If so, why do the invaders speak English? Why don’t they converse in their native Russian?
Also, who in the name of Sam Hill designed this house?
One of the story’s conceits is that there’s ample crawlspaces between these rooms in order for Angel to secretly make her way about without drawing Viktor or his guard’s attention. That’s all well and good, but, by the end, one starts to wonder why there’s so much more living space behind the walls as opposed to in front of it. I understand that, to some degree, this was only intended to be a plot device; still, all plot devices need to have some grounding in logic, and this one really made me question whether a legitimate architect or builder made this house … or was it designed by a pair of screenwriters?
The problem?
Well, she lacks the courage to use it … until it’s almost too late.
Hyett directs from a script that he helped craft (he’s sharing credit with Conal Palmer), and therein may lie the problem with House: there’s an awful lot of ambiguity here, and it doesn’t make much literal sense. Whereas the two scribes were possibly working in concert, I felt kinda/sorta left out on the particulars that might’ve given greater definition to this particular time and place in existence, and the missing context kept me from understanding succinctly everything I felt necessary to draw me into the story.
See, there’s an overwhelming vagueness to the whole affair that kept forcing me to ask questions I couldn’t answer. These details might not have been central to the story being told, but the ongoing lack of clarity pushed me to wonder what the precise parameters of this world were. For starters, when are we? Is this the past? Is it some glimpse at a possible tomorrow? If this were stated, then I completely missed it, and I kept wanting to know. There’s part of me that suspects it could’ve been either possibility – never a good position to be in as a viewer – because the environment offers up clues for either supposition. Many of the men are soldiers who’ve apparently overrun another country, and they speak in heavy Russian accents … but, one more than one occasion, they’re shown paying Viktor in U.S. dollars. Where did they get those? Is this supposed to be America being occupied by an invading army? If so, why do the invaders speak English? Why don’t they converse in their native Russian?
Also, who in the name of Sam Hill designed this house?
One of the story’s conceits is that there’s ample crawlspaces between these rooms in order for Angel to secretly make her way about without drawing Viktor or his guard’s attention. That’s all well and good, but, by the end, one starts to wonder why there’s so much more living space behind the walls as opposed to in front of it. I understand that, to some degree, this was only intended to be a plot device; still, all plot devices need to have some grounding in logic, and this one really made me question whether a legitimate architect or builder made this house … or was it designed by a pair of screenwriters?
Now, I realize that some of these questions may have answers that rely on the business demands, breaking that wall into the real world outside (ours) – perhaps for purposes of ensuring the best business it was easier to avoid producing a foreign language picture. Still, because these narrative conflicts kept popping up again and again and again, they ended up screaming out and calling attention to their reality in places when they shouldn’t have. They end up ‘distracting’ when they should have been an organic part of the story, and I can’t help but wonder if this was the necessary quirks of a first-time director (House is Hyett’s debut directing gig).
What’s entirely impressive, nonetheless, is the job the director does in putting the pieces of his story together. As a thriller, it’s highly effective. There are some solid sequences that play nicely (and a bit gruesomely) into the experience. Instead of watching this one again (ever), I’d be more inclined to see what Hyett can do with a more accomplished script. Same thing for actress Day. They showed up to play, and I’d love to see what they can do with a project given ample pre-production attention.
The Seasoning House (2012) is produced by Sterling Pictures, Templeheart Films, and Filmgate Films. DVD distribution is being handled through Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still see that the film is sharply made, and there’s great care that’s been put into its various sights and sounds, along with some winning cinematography. As for the special features, it comes with the usual obligatory ‘making of’ short (about 15 minutes) that really doesn’t reveal all that much into the story or vision, but it’s nice to have something, isn’t it? Plus, there is the theatrical trailer.
Recommended.
It goes without saying that the subject matter of The Seasoning House (2012) is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and I certainly can’t blame them: I’m not entirely certain it’s even my cup of tea! The script toys with male dominance themes in this curiously under-developed or ill-defined world. Is this the future? Is this our past? Why does everyone speak with Russian accents but soldiers pay with U.S. money? How was this house constructed with more space behind its walls than in front of them? That, and there’s no characterization to speak of. What there is remains a white-knuckles-bared thriller – nothing more – so don’t expect anything else … and you’re likely to be entertained. Otherwise, it’s morally bankrupt about a morally bankrupt universe … with a downbeat ending that almost promises a follow-up (though none is needed).
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well GO USA Entertainment provided me with a DVD copy of The Seasoning House (2012) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
What’s entirely impressive, nonetheless, is the job the director does in putting the pieces of his story together. As a thriller, it’s highly effective. There are some solid sequences that play nicely (and a bit gruesomely) into the experience. Instead of watching this one again (ever), I’d be more inclined to see what Hyett can do with a more accomplished script. Same thing for actress Day. They showed up to play, and I’d love to see what they can do with a project given ample pre-production attention.
The Seasoning House (2012) is produced by Sterling Pictures, Templeheart Films, and Filmgate Films. DVD distribution is being handled through Well Go USA Entertainment. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still see that the film is sharply made, and there’s great care that’s been put into its various sights and sounds, along with some winning cinematography. As for the special features, it comes with the usual obligatory ‘making of’ short (about 15 minutes) that really doesn’t reveal all that much into the story or vision, but it’s nice to have something, isn’t it? Plus, there is the theatrical trailer.
Recommended.
It goes without saying that the subject matter of The Seasoning House (2012) is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and I certainly can’t blame them: I’m not entirely certain it’s even my cup of tea! The script toys with male dominance themes in this curiously under-developed or ill-defined world. Is this the future? Is this our past? Why does everyone speak with Russian accents but soldiers pay with U.S. money? How was this house constructed with more space behind its walls than in front of them? That, and there’s no characterization to speak of. What there is remains a white-knuckles-bared thriller – nothing more – so don’t expect anything else … and you’re likely to be entertained. Otherwise, it’s morally bankrupt about a morally bankrupt universe … with a downbeat ending that almost promises a follow-up (though none is needed).
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well GO USA Entertainment provided me with a DVD copy of The Seasoning House (2012) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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