Title: Impossible Monsters
MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Director: Nathan Catucci
Starring: Santino Fontana, Laila Robins, Dennis Boutsikaris
Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

What it is: An ambitious professor becomes caught up in the murder of a participant in his sleep study, as the line between dreams and reality blur.

What We Think: Impossible monsters is a venture into the psyche of trauma, and its takeover of our subconscious. From Professor Rich Freeman’s introduction (Santino Fontana), to the seemingly late purpose of the film, it is evident that the film intends to educate. The case study is comprised of stereotypical tropes, Otis (Donall O Healel) , a tortured artist unable to truly achieve his best due to a past traumatic episode: Jo (Devika Bhise) a young, beautiful, brown female student intent on tempting any and every male she encounters due to a past traumatic episode: and Shayna (Lyanka Gryu) a young, beautiful, white female who does non-profit work, is exceptionally intelligent, but seems quietly tortured by a past traumatic episode. They all agree to participate in Professor Freeman’s dream study, though the reasoning becomes less clear as the movie progresses.

In what appears to be a modern nod to Hitchcock, looming music guides us through darkened film scenes, sometimes prematurely, often stomping long after the warning has been confirmed. The plot cascades in sections, rolling over each other with just enough information for one to stay interested, until a twist that comes much too late in the film to be properly laid out for understanding. At that point you find you were following the guidance of the films, taking notes studiously, only to find a test before you on a whole different topic.

Our Grade: C, Impossible Monsters is the film your pompous friend jumps to explain to you. It’s grandiose in its artistry, shrouded in darkness and set to an overused musical score. It’s well-acted, though to a detriment. As most scripts based on explaining academia for thrilling purposes, it’s intelligent and interesting in that it plays on our fears from within our limits. But somewhere in its promise, it veers off, becoming an information dump relying more on its visual aspects than logic. Compiled with the very uncomfortable usage of the exotic temptress persona, played blatantly in contrast to the innocent seemingly victimized and educated white woman, it makes one wonder if the film was truly a study or a lesson in common cliches. One could write this off as simply casting, but one would be feigning ignorance. For it would be hard to imagine that a film based on explaining the subconscious could possibly ignore the usage of bias long used to paint women of color as Jezebels. Within the film, there are truly Impossible Monsters, but none as much as the ideals that were pushed without consideration.