How do I feel about "To Jennifer"? The story was a truly smart and creative out play that twists into an even more creative nightmare. I- even though I don't watch reality television-found myself completely absorbed in the affairs of Joey and Steve. I also related to the fact of trips with unpredictable people not going quite the way I expected, and finding it almost impossible to conceive the desired outcome. I never had it result in such a gruesome resolution, but still I related to the entertainment value of a messed-up turn of events. Added to the fact that Steve found everything happening too funny to take seriously, or to see any signs of the true horror in front of him, made the film seem more like watching Youtube video of goof offs- which was clever. You never see the wall until your about to hit it and then it is always too late.
The acting in this film isn't really polished but don't mistake it for amateurish, because the unpolished feel of the characters just lends to the notion that it is a documentary situation of regular guys on a mission. The use of the iphone5 as a filming format is brilliant, and is probably what made the most of this movie viewable, considering it is a slow build to the terrifying outcome as opposed to a set 'em up – knock 'em down horror film. The hidden motive that lies under the falderal of the story,(because face it-whining over a break up and wasting energy to pursue this type premise is foolish), was perfectly timed in it's slow reveal. It wasn't until the rundown hotel and hookers that I started to question the lead character Joey. By then I was so hooked on watching everything play out that, when the ending came, there was no way to prepare for the impact. I found myself once more held in tight anxiety and awe as Bressack brought back that familiar feeling of horror that I normally associate with his work. It was an experience that started from beginning to end in "Hate Crime" but wasn't accentuated until the last scenes of "To Jennifer", but the effect was the same powerful experience.
I think Bressack has found a niche in horror film making. His style plays on realism, twists it into almost surrealistic nightmares that, almost feel to real, and yet are completely entertaining. Even in their brutal exposition, of how the really scary sh*t that happens is a result of really scary people and not monsters, Bressack's film's always manage to define a true sense of horror lying in Man.
