Directed by: A.D. Baker
Starring: Leslie Simpson, Axelle Carolyn
Reviewer: Horrorphilia Jeremy

A Reckoning is essentially a low-budget, art-house The Quiet Earth that recalls some of the works of Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksandr Sokurov, and Bela Tarr. It may not be quite at their level, but the fact it brings them to mind shows how much promise director/writer AD Barker and DoP Adam Krajczynski have with this first-feature. Traditionally speaking, the movie doesn’t belong in the horror section, and most horror fans will be bored to tears by this. Yet, if you have an open mind and like meditative films with a literary bent, then perhaps the movie will speak to you.

Leslie Simpson’s performance as the ‘Man’ carries the movie. Is he the Last Man on Earth or is he stuck in limbo? Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, but times ten, his state of mind is an intricate game of chess. It is easy to lose interest in a character slowly going crazy, but Simpson shows enough warmth to be likeable. At times, some of the raging against sanity gets too repetitive and drawn out, but Barker stages enough cathartic breakthroughs to keep your interest. The score is more effective when it ditches the electric violin for more diverse instrumentation. The film ends on a high note with one of the man’s poetic ramblings being particularly poignant as he is framed in a beautifully expressionistic last shot.

The quoting of Edgar Allen Poe informs the piece the most, and perhaps this works allegorically on some level to the end of his life. Again, if you’re in the mood to hear literary quotes and think about your existence, then you might welcome this experience. I can see the film getting accepted at some festivals, but generally I would be very hesitant to recommend it, even to the intellectual/academic crowd. I do think these filmmakers have the potential to make waves in the art-house cinema world someday.

Rating: 5.5/10