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Nouveau Cinema: Turbid

Monday 13 October, 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday 14 October, 3:30 p.m. at Ex-Centris

At first glance, Turbid appears to be just another indie film trying too hard to be edgy and provocative; turns out, the movie is provocative, edgy, and indie in the best possible way. Director George Fok – who also wrote, produced, and edited the movie – took a risk with his first feature-length film, choosing to portray the story of a young girl “navigating through the confusing path of adolescence,” in which she steals, dabbles in drugs, questions her faith, and rebels against her mother.

Despite the seemingly unoriginal storyline, Fok presents a strangely compelling film with an unconventional cinematic approach and honest, believable characters played by “non-actors.”

The plot unfolds organically: when the main character says, “Maybe things are supposed to be shitty,” it is convincing – and not unreasonable to find oneself agreeing and sympathizing with her. Fok treats his viewers with refreshing intelligence. The film is riddled with in-your-face religious motifs, and just as the viewer is wondering about the abundance of Jesus figurines, the characters discuss the presence of God in their lives. Although the content of the film is undeniably heavy and somewhat cliched, Turbid achieves a sincere portrayal of the emotions involved in what is, for many, the everyday struggle to get by.

–Victoria DiPlacido