Fantastic Fest Report: The Hamster Cage Review

From what we've seen on cinema screens for at least the past 25 years, everyone's family is dysfunctional. So how do you make your particular family stand out from the rest?

If you're Larry Kent, you wind them up tighter than an atomic particle and then watch what happens as the tiny unit explodes in spectacular fashion.

Father (Alan Scarfe) has won the Nobel Prize, so Mother (Patricia Dahlquist) invites the children -- Lucy (Jillian Fargey) and Paul (Tom Scholte) -- and Dad's brother Uncle Stan (Scott Hylands) home to celebrate. Uncle Stan brings along the alluring college-aged Candy (Carly Pope), who doesn't so much set things in motion as serve as the family's own Boswell (as succintly declared by Father).

Review continues after the jump. To ignore me and make up your mind:

Official Web Site (Click on "Trailer" for Embedded Flash Trailer)
Fantastic Fest info page

The initial homecoming scenes are restrained but it's clear that coiled tension exists between different family members. As the day turns into night, secrets are exposed and actions are taken that will shake things up forever.

That's intentionally vague, because the plot twists are simply too perverse to reveal in advance. Suffice to say that the acting is superb, the photography exquisitely bright and colorful, and the musical score far too cheerful for it's own good.

Though many of the family dynamics, arguments, and reversals are played for dark laughs, there's enough raw pain simmering just below the surface to give one pause. Black comedy depends entirely on tone, and a fine line is maintained -- most of the time. In a few scenes, it's impossible to suss out exactly how to react, and at least two feel too drawn out, resulting in a bit of personal frustration for me. On the other hand, it could be argued that the intention is to cause discomfort, to push buttons, and to that effect, The Hamster Cage definitely succeeds.

Director Kent made several independent features in Canada during the 1960s, and then ran into roadblocks that prevented him from making more than a handful after that. This is his first feature since he was rediscovered a few years ago.

In the Q&A following the screening, when asked how he was able to achieve the tone I mentioned above, Kent noted that he worked with several of the actors back in the 60s and so they were familiar with how he worked. Relentless rehearsal ensured that everyone was on the same page.

He fielded several questions about the origins of the story, how he's now received at family gatherings, and so forth, and mainly noted that his wife is not very happy with him.

The film plays at Fantastic Fest again tomorrow, Saturday, September 23, at 6:40 p.m. Kent will be in attendance for the screening and a Q&A.