Director: Boy Harsher
Title: The Runner (A Movie By Boy Harsher)
Release Date: 16th January 2022
Run Time: 115 minutes
Producer: Daniel April
Movie Review
Few weeks ago, I wrote a review about BOY HARSHER’s new album, ‘The Runner’. It alludes to a time during the pandemic when August Muller began work on moody cinematic sketches which the time, he had no idea where they’d end up other than an exercise in Catharism. Jae Mathews was diagnosed with MS, she conjured from her mind this figure, called ‘The Runner’. The character visualises the universal anxiety of the times and functions also as a tool of exorcism. It’s part horror movie / part music video / part confessional interview. Although the interview parts were short.
It’s based around a woman, the runner, played by Kris Esfandiari who is running through the woods in a state of disorientated agitation. She is covered in blood, finally ends up on a road where she starts thumbing a lift. A blue Chevy pickup stops and she gets in. A few yards down the road the Chevy stops. She then takes the Chevy and drives to a house where a youth is watching ‘Machina’ on the TV. He sees the blood-soaked woman walking across the grass and runs out the door into the woods. The woman comes into the house and dials a number into the phone. A robotically sinister voice talks to her. She changes into a white button-down dress with a frilly collar and then drives to a dive bar where she dances with a guy by the pool table. He senses something in her and backs off. All the while a blonde woman with tattoos is eyeing her up. They leave and go back to her trailer; her heart is pulled out of her whilst in the throes of a lesbian kiss.
All of this is intermingled with tracks from the accompanying album, sky shots, dancing textured views of roads, trailers, chain link fences and traffic fast flowing on freeways. No matter how fast you run from yourself you will always be close behind. The traffic alluding the one-way direction of life and its mundanity. This movie, although short, is suffused with David Lynchian motifs, it’s like a sidebar to ‘Twin Peaks’. It also reminds me of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and some of the output of ROB ZOMBIE. It’s film noir and B-movie and it would be interesting to see what this would be like padded out into a full movie of around 90 minutes.
Yeah, this was a nice visual aperitif that invigorated the taste buds and satiated arty thirst. But when it ended, I heard myself say ‘Is that it?’ But given the music video / interview movie format I think that the length was about right. But as I stated above, it would be interesting to see what this would be like padded out into a 90-minute movie with all the music video / interview stuff removed, and with the central theme elaborated upon! My only criticism was the sound. It was a bit tinny in places, I couldn’t make out the dialogue when Jae Mathews spoke in the interview scene. Other than that, this is very good!
The movie can be viewed via this link: https://therunner.film/
More info about BOY HARSHER can be found here: https://boyharsher.com/
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