Ink

Directed by Jamin Winans
2009
Rated NR
102 minutes

Summary from Netflix: Late one night, a lost soul named Ink snatches 8-year-old Emma into the world of dreams. There, he hopes to use her soul to join the ranks of the evil Incubi. In the real world, Emma lies comatose, to the despair of her father, John. But the Incubi's benevolent opposites -- the Storytellers -- rally to help Emma, motivating John to wage war for his daughter.


My rating: ★★★★★ out of 5

"They're all reactions! One thing begets the next. A man has a weakness, he's flawed. That flaw leads him to guilt. The guilt leads him to shame. The shame he compensates with pride and vanity. And when pride fails, despair takes over and they all lead to his destruction. It will become his fate... Something's gotta stop the flow."

Some people who aren't heavily into watching movies, unlike most of my friends or those that will most likely come across this blog, just cannot understand why I prefer watching Anime, Foreign and/or Independent movies before I touch a commercialized US movie.  Watch this movie, Ink, and you will have a slight idea why I favor the not so typical that you won't typically find at the cineplex.

And here's the kicker.  I am not going to tell you any more plot then what the summary above has said or the trailer shows below.  Why not?  Well, why in the world should I spoil such a great movie for you and make you miss the opportunity to have a wild ride watching it like I did?

I laughed, I cried, I cried a whole bunch more during the credits, then I sat there once it ended and went, "What in the world just happened?"  I totally didn't expect the ending.  At all.  It has been soo long since a movie moved me like that.

This movie is incredibly beautiful, not in a blockbuster way and not in an independent movie way.  It is gritty, has it's own unique special effects, and neither go overboard.  The story line and composition can confuse at the beginning, then it starts to build.  Curiosity makes you stick with it as you learn more and more about the two main characters such as where eight year old Emma is being taken and the destruction of the father and why we have to know what is happening to his life. Even saying that isn't exactly all the plot the movie has. There are several different layers going on in this movie at the same time.

Ok, maybe a little bit of plot explanation.  Trust me, if I really tried to describe the plot any more then this you'd wonder I came down with a sleep deprived version of ADHD.  ;)

(BTW, no offense to anyone with ADHD.  I am just meaning that the plot skips and jumps from past to present to dream state to another dimension throughout the entire film and if I tried to describe it to you, you will most likely not follow me at all. Just trust me. Go see the film if you haven't already to know what I mean.)

A few other characters besides Emma and her father stick out in my mind.  The Pathfinder Jacob is funny like a jester and as philosophical as Yoda.  He also has got some really good lines (i.e. "Hello dirt. How are you today?").  I loved Liev the Storyteller as well for her character as well as how her hair was styled (someone teach me how to do that, please!) and her overcoat (which I am sorely tempted to make one for myself now).  The Incubi costumes, however, scared the bejesus out of me with their simplicity and overall effectiveness.  I hope I don't get bad dreams from those guys.  *shiver*

Once you get the flow of the movie, the ride will cause you to stay with it and just as you are really getting into it... WHAM!  Everything falls into place and you wind up with a box of Kleenex in your lap while you root and cheer for the ending to turn up to be a not so tragic one.

Overall, this movie was far better then I expected.  It has been a while since I saw a movie this good.  I have read other reviewers say this movie sits on the same shelf as Brazil, Matrix, Donnie Darko, Sixth Sense, Sin City, as well as several others.  I have to agree and yet I have to completely disagree.  This movie is unlike anything I have seen in a while.  It has so many different layers and it's own uniqueness which is very refreshing.

Here's the best part of it all.  If you don't have the ability to watch this on Netflix (rental or instant queue) or some other way to rent this movie, you can watch Ink for free on IMDB thanks to hulu.com (linkie linkie)!  Sure you will have to deal with a few commercials, but it's free, so there isn't any other excuse for you to miss seeing this unless you don't have 102 minutes to spare.