John and the Hole is one of the best character study films in recent years about pure, downright evil, only comparable to Michael Haneke’s classics such as Funny Games and The White Ribbon, or to more recent work such as Wandel’s chilling Playground. It’s a shocking fable featuring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story).
John lives with his bourgeois family in a spacious house with a garden. But his taciturn tendencies make him a weird kid. One day, he discovers a huge hole near his house, an unfinished bunker of some kind, and he seizes the opportunity. He proceeds to put his family down there and take possession of his home and his life, without anyone exercising any authority over him. But his plan is a half-baked idea and John will be forced to improvise.
Credits
Year: 2021
Runtime: 103′
Country: USA
Direction: Pascual Sisto
Screenplay: Nicolás Giacobone
Cast: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga, Ben O’Brien, Lucien Spelman
Cinematography: Paul Ozgur
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Contact: Alfa Pictures
Wins & nominations
2021: Festival de Cannes
2021: Sundance Film Festival
2021: Palm Springs International Film Festival
