Writer/Director: Trevor Juenger
Produced by: Trevor Juenger, Arlin Juenger, Carrie Lax and Bill Oberst Jr.
Original Music – Michel Schiralli
Cinematography – Nick Brian Walters
Art Director – Carrie Juenger
Starring: Bill Oberst Jr., Victoria Mullen, Bill Finkbiner
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By: Debi Ann – Contributing Writer
A sleep-deprived insomniac writer with incredibly wild hallucinations…or are they reality? ~ “Sleep is the enemy” ~
Just out of post-production, wiithout even a distribution deal firmly in place yet, Coyote has already won numerous awards such as Best Feature at the 2013 Unreal Film Festival in Memphis and three Feature Film Awards at Pollygrind Underground Film Festival 2013 in Las Vegas, which included a Best Actor Award for Bill Oberst Jr. It has also caused quite a bit of controversy at public screenings, having been banned from a few festivals and college campuses, due to the “extreme violent content.” Oh goody!
With popcorn and coke in hand, I was ready to see what all of the fuss was about. I must admit that I went into this film thinking, “Well, here’s probably another sleep-deprived author descending into madness with the usual “results” flick. Uh…no way. You have not seen anything like this movie – ever! Trevor Juenger has melded the arthouse and horror genres into a brilliant masterpiece that will haunt your sleep (if you can ever sleep again, that is).
I felt as though I was either witnessing or actually experiencing a very strange trip; surreal, bizarre, dark, extremely emotional. It was difficult to really tell which was reality and which was imagination. Begs the question – are we the dreamer, dreaming our existence? Or are we merely a player in our own strange series of worlds? William S. Burroughs and David Cronenberg would be proud (think Naked Lunch).
This is a total Bill Oberst Jr. piece, who absolutely owns this role. Rarely do we have the opportunity to “witness” the true talent of an actor, as usually actors “play” off one another. In this case, Bill (also the name of the character) for the most part has intensely bizarre discussions with himself, and we alone are allowed into the blackness of his soul. He shows more than just emotions; rather, he evokes feelings from the deepest, darkest places within himself. There are also parts of this film without dialogue, where we witness Oberst’s true acting form, watching helplessly as his character crumbles and disappears into absolute insanity…slowly and most painfully. Throughout this film, I found myself wondering…what would I be like if I had no sleep for days or weeks on end.
The film opens with the wonderfully irritating buzzing of a fly, then the scene slowly transforms from darkness to light where we see Bill (Bill Oberst Jr.) sitting at a stark desk in a room with institutional green walls; trying unsuccessfully to pen a letter to his mother. Paper accumulates in wads on the floor – and the pen breaks open spilling black ink on his hands. Dark blood? Then, out comes the typewriter. A bright red one. Bill begins to type…in the third person, which is how he writes and truly how he views himself; as an outsider.
Bill has a job as a mover with a guy named Joe (a stellar performance by Bill Finkbiner). Joe witnesses firsthand as Bill slowly devolves, practically disappearing or perhaps transforming into utter and absolute madness. His sleep-deprivation eats away (in the most literal sense) at his soul it seems, with hallucinations and distorted realities giving way to extreme paranoia and bizarre acts of violence. Bill perceives his dreams as warnings and sees the world as a societal commentary on the evils humankind preys upon other humans. In perhaps a last desperate attempt at “normality,” Bill meets a woman named Jesse (beautifully played by Victoria Mullen) who perhaps helps to further him deeper into madness – she lets him fall asleep. “NEVER LET ME SLEEP!!!” he yells at her…to no avail. Jesse will also have a front row seat to Bill’s insanity.
The incredible driving, hypnotic music of Michel Schiralli adds to the tension and absolute anxiety of the film, while the cinematography lends to the dark dreamlike quality of this wonderfully shadowy, stunning work of art. Production values are beautifully polished and the writing is outstanding; the fish-eye lens views add to the surrealistic style of this very artistic film. So many films attempt to be dark, by use of shadows, filming at night and/or use of script. This film accomplishes this and achieves the true dark side of man in imagery by the use of lightning or lack thereof and in the intense inner dialogues Bill creates. Trevor Juenger and Bill Oberst Jr. seem to be a true match made in horror “heaven.” I do hope there will be other dark, delightful delicacies from this these two amazingly creative artists in the future.
Listen to the Coyote soundtrack:
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3879992982 size=medium bgcol=333333 linkcol=e32c14]
Coyote will haunt your subconscious (it does mine). This movie may not be for the “masses,” but that’s alright; it will a cinematic treat for those who truly appreciate art in its darkest most bizarre and beautiful of forms.
Coyote is currently being shopped for distribution, so unless you are lucky enough to catch a public screening, here’s a clip that director Juenger said “may be my favorite sequence in the film,” depicting the moments before Oberst’s character snaps completely (NSFW).
[vimeo 78862331 w=800&h=325]
