Back in 2011, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado made a splash at the Tribeca Film Festival with their debut film "Kalevet." The film went on to win numerous awards at many international film festivals and became one of the most memorable movies at Tribeca. Two years later the duo returns with another horror film entitled "Big Bad Wolves."
The film revolves around a series of brutal murders that puts the lives of three men on a collision course. Gidi (Tzahi Grad) is the father of the latest victim who seeks out revenge while Mickey (Lior Ashkenazi) is a vigilante police detective that operates outside the boundaries of law in order to find the murderer. Both seek out the main suspect in the killings, Dror (Rotem Keinan), a religious studies teacher arrested and released due to a police blunder.
From the beginning, the directors establish the tone and style. The opening credits begin with ominous music featuring thundering basses. Three young children are playing a game of hide and seek in a dark forest. The boy is left counting while the girls hide around the area. One of them hides in a cabin while the other conceals herself under a tire. The film then cuts to a black clothed person who walks toward the cabin. In the following image, the boy finds one of the girls and then heads for the cabin. However that girl is no longer there. The action is shot in slow motion to emphasize each character and gives it an even more haunting experience.
Once this sequence is finished, the directors introduce Mickey and Dror. Mickey is torturing Dror because he is the prime suspect in the girl's disappearance. The directors emphasize the sound effects and show when Mickey hits Dror with a telephone book through close-ups. The portrayal is quite brutal but also prepares the viewer for what is to come.
Dror is eventually freed due to a lack of evidence and Mickey is fired because he went overboard with the torture. However Mickey is intent in finding the killer and continues to pursue Dror. In a confrontation scene between the two, Mickey points a gun at Dror to force a confession. However Dror does not budge. Gidi arrives on the scene shortly after and brings both men to his new house in the middle of the woods.
Gidi leaves them to a basement and begins to torture Dror in order to find out why he killed his daughter, the kidnapped girl. The following scenes are tough to swallow as Gidi cuts Dror's face and breaks his fingers; he also takes nails off his toes. There is a lot of blood throughout and the sound effects are loud and nauseating. Additionally, the directors cut to close-ups that create a claustrophobic feel for the viewer.
Fortunately, Keshales and Papushado infuse the film with comic touches. At one moment Gidi stops torturing Dror to bake a cake; the scene is underscored by sunny pop music that stresses the levity. He eventually returns to torturing Dror, but stops once more to take the cake out of the oven and let it cool.
Other moments include phone calls from Gidi's mother and a sudden appearance from his father. His mother exasperates him because she calls at crucial moments when he is about to either break Dror's fingers or take his nails off. The moments take relief off the tension. Gidi eventually gets frustrated from the lack of progress he has made and tries to get rid of his mother. He tells her he is sick and will go to sleep. However the plan backfires and his father arrives at the house; Gidi then tries to hide everything from him. When the sounds of Dror and Mickey hitting the basement walls are heard from the top level, Gidi tells his father that he has rats. It is a tense but hilarious scene because the directors actually subvert the viewer's expectations. Once Gidi's father discovers the torture going on, he too decides to engage in the act and proceeds to burn Dror. While clearly sadistic, the execution is filled with potent black humor.
Also fascinating is how the film keeps the audience guessing who the killer is until the very end. Many characters appear as prime suspects including Dror. One of the characters is an Arab man who rides his horse and appears in various situations looking at both Gidi and Mickey in suspicious ways. There is never much revealed about him but sudden appearances only frighten the viewer. Gidi also seems to be a suspect. When he is first introduced he is crying for his daughter but he is later portrayed as violent and threatening. In one scene he asks the sales agent to stay in the basement of the new house he is checking out. He goes upstairs and locks the door which prompts the agent to scream. The scene is cut between the screaming sales agent and Gidi as he listens from the first floor. A suspenseful feel is created from the slow pace and Gidi's scary response; he looks like a mad scientist with glasses and a cold stare.
Even Mickey seems like a prime suspect. He has a daughter like Dror but he is violent by nature and impulsive. Additionally, he has no qualms with hurting anyone even if there is no proof. The final suspect, which every single character points to, is Dror. He is a quiet and lonely being. Despite everyone's accusations, he is a sympathetic character through his own weakness: he is attacked by Mickey, made fun of by his students and fired from his job. He is an awkward looking man and seems defenseless. He also never admits to the crime and in one scene he is portayed celebration a girl's birthday. The clues given are very subtle and create a riveting mystery all the way until the end.
"Big Bad Wolves" also features a rousing score filled with orchestral cues that create the dark atmosphere and give it propulsion. The movie depicts locations packed with blacks and browns that give it a dark and somber atmosphere. Some of the most chilling locations include the greenhouse which has absolutely no plants and the basement which reminds one of the "Saw" movies.
"Big Bad Wolves" is not an easy film but it is an exhilarating and ultimately fun experience that will not only frighten audiences but also make them laugh.