Produced by Movie Planet and L/D Production, The Wicked Gift (Italy - 2017) is a film written, directed and starring Roberto D'Antona. After fan movies about Dylan Dog, TV series and several short films, D'Antona ventures into his first feature film whose themes encroach on the dream world, psychoanalysis and spiritualism. Themes, these, already widely dealt with in horror genre cinematography but which in this independent product are sterile because they are sketched out and not very deepened.
Definitely technically and directionally sound, The Wicked Gift draws on the mainstream horror films of the moment by repurposing, among other things, a long-running entity derived from Eastern cinema (The Ring, The Grudge). However, these attempts at emulation as well as the effort to bring a personalized story to the screen turn out to be unsuccessful.
The limits of The Wicked Gift stem not from the tight budget but from the inability to stage horror. In fact, the horror component is very weak and unimpressive because it is overpowered by a strong and exaggerated dose of humor found especially in the prolonged dialogues.
The screenplay (edited by Annamaria Lorusso and Roberto D'Antona) mirrors an acerbic and chaotic work in which several genres come together haphazardly. Presented as a "horror thriller", The Wicked Gift is actually a comedy film that blurs (even unintentionally) into the comedy genre and has, in spots, thriller and horror veins. In fact, the film is full of funny skits that are out of place and superfluous sequences that show the protagonists in their everyday lives. Elements, these, that on the whole kill any outbreak of suspense.
The acting performances of David White and Michael Segal are notable in the film. In general, however, the acting is shoddy and often forced, and this certainly does not benefit the film's success as does the excessive length (about 110 minutes), which only makes it heavier to watch. A The Wicked Gift It also lacks the chilling atmosphere that topics such as nightmares and mediumistic sessions should instead create. An example of this is the only really good moment, namely the one inherent in the macabre visions of Ethan's (Roberto D'Antona) first dream and which represents a tantalizing beginning that then unfortunately fades disappointingly.
Plot: Ethan (Roberto D'Antona) is a shy designer who has suffered from insomnia for years due to constant and terrible nightmares. Convinced that he is suffering from a personality disorder, he thus decides to go to therapy. Moreover, with the help of his best friend (Francesco Emulo) and a medium (Annamaria Lorusso), he will investigate the problems related to his dream world, colliding with a dark and atrocious truth.
The cast includes Roberto D'Antona (Insane), Annamaria Lorusso (The Reaping), Francesco Emulo (The Reaping), Kateryna Korchynska, David White (Beautiful People, My Little Sister), Michael Segal (Virus: Extreme Contamination), Alice Viganò, Andrea Milan and Mirko D'Antona (Insane).
[divider]
Distributed by CG Entertainment, The Wicked Gift (Italy - 2017) is available in DVD and Blu-ray formats from August 30, 2018. The Blu-ray edition features a rich special content section (Backstage, Censored Teaser, International Trailer, Bloopers). Impeccable audio and video quality of the format.
BLU-RAY EDITION:
VIDEO: HD 1080 24p 16/9 2.35:1
LENGTH: 111′
AUDIO: Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
N. DISKS: 1
SUBTITLES: Italian for the Deaf, English
