ArME/Lust (2013)
ArME/Lust (2013)
Directed by Keith Voigt Jr.
A review by Mario Dominick
Keith Voigt Jr. of Winkerland Productions is a young filmmaker just new to the scene. Having gone to Cinema Wasteland as a fan and given out copies of his short films on DVD-R, the aspiring indie artist is about to have his work officially distributed with the help of Fred Vogel and Toe Tag Inc. The DVD being released by Toe Tag is a double feature of his two latest short films, ArME and Lust. Today we take a look at ArME and Lust, the style of film Voigt makes and how they fit in with the line of horror Toe Tag is known for.
ArME is a short that, in my view, is about post-traumatic stress disorder. A young serviceman is deeply disturbed by what he experienced when he was in combat. His friends try to provide him with the comfort and support he needs, but the demons he’s battling set him on a dangerous course. He spouts off about patriotism and rambles on in profanity-laced rants. One day, he goes out and buys a military-style assault weapon. That’s when his hold on reality and sanity has vanished.
Lust is about a female coffee shop worker who finds herself obsessing over a handsome young man who frequently attends the place as a customer. Desperate to win him over, despite being told by her friend he is not interested in her, she resorts to drastic measures, measures that cause her obsession to bring about a gruesome conclusion to her effort to win his love.
ArME and Lust are two excellent horror short efforts. One is a dark, disturbing look at what traumatic experiences do to the human psyche, and the other is a black humored love story. ArME is the best of the two in my opinion and kind of sits well next to Toe Tag’s previous feature film Sella Turcica, a film about the aftereffects of war on soldiers (though the Toe Tag film goes in a more supernatural direction).
Watching these two shorts back to back make for a good introduction to the works of Keith Voigt Jr. and Winkerland Productions. I was satisfied with what I saw and Keith is a very inspired filmmaker in league with other talented underground gurus like James Cullen Bressack and Jabb Pictures’ Jason Hoover. I am happy that Keith will be getting noticed with the help of Fred Vogel and Toe Tag with this upcoming double feature DVD release of ArME and Lust. Here’s hoping more of his work will see distribution in the future and that we will see more aspiring filmmakers get distribution with Toe Tag. In the meantime, keep your eyes on www.toetag.biz for info on when the ArME/Lust DVD will be available.
