April | 2023 | MR GEEKY

A BLOODY ASYLUM SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF A NEW BRITISH INDIE HORROR

A SNEAK PEAK AT THE LATEST RELEASE FROM BAD WOLF FILMS

MAYA from British Pakistani filmmaker K/XI (pronounced K eleven), aka K Pervaiz, was one of my best films of 2022, which is still screening at festivals and is soon to be released. Prior to this in 2020 was her first released feature BLACK LAKE that now returns in an impressive director’s cut.

Powerful, disturbing, with substance, beautifully deconstructing what a horror film can be. Produced, written, directed, filmed, and edited by K/XI, BLACK LAKE is not a traditional folk horror movie. Slow burn, and an experience to be felt. Its inspiration the shocking murder of Jyoti Singh, to whom the film is poignantly dedicated.

K/XI explained her overwhelming need to honour her, “It was December 2015 when I heard her name: Jyoti Singh. The name of the young woman who was brutally gang-raped on a bus in Delhi, India. I didn’t want to go to work that day; I was trembling with anger, sadness and couldn’t speak about her attack without crying. I remember watching the news and seeing the faces of the rapists. They were given voices and hers had been taken. As a British Asian woman living in London, I come home late at night on public transport regularly, from the cinema or from film festivals. To think a young woman in India, was subjected to such a horrific ordeal for a freedom that most people frequently take for granted, has stayed with me. I felt a huge obligation as a woman and as a filmmaker to do something about it. There are a vast number of articles about horrific ordeals women are going through in South Asia, and all over the world. With a Pakistani background, I chose to focus on a story from this area specifically, and make a film about Churail – South-Asian Witches. A woman is said to become this demonic form if she dies during childbirth, is brutally murdered, or doesn’t live her life to societal norms. Monstrous acts of violence create monsters, and BLACK LAKE was made to explore cycles of violence.”

Whilst house-sitting in a secluded home in Scotland, Aarya, an expressionist painter, is gifted a red scarf sent by her aunt from Pakistan and becomes haunted by a demonic and malevolent Churail.

At times surreal and dreamlike, and occasionally not adhering to expected narrative beats, yet always grounded. This approach allows for immersion and to feel Aarya relaxing in her get away and then the gradual seeping in of rising foreboding. In some respects similar to David Lynch’s films, which is not unexpected considering he is one of K/XI’s favourite filmmakers.

Many inspirations are utilised and on show, literally at times, most notably Nicholas Roeg’s DON’T LOOK NOW, particularly in the form of the red scarf. K/XI may well be influenced by the likes of Lynch, Roeg, Stanley Kubrick, and Sam Raimi but never heavy-handedly and always in service of the narrative. The story unfolds in part with symbolism, and metaphors that never spoon-feeds meaning or answers; so paying attention to details rewards. In all honesty, it took a couple of watches to start to grasp some aspects. Filmed in Pakistan and Scotland, the breath-taking cinematography complements the storytelling, juxtaposing and making the most of both locales, that while setting the tone also emphasises our connection to the metaphysical world, a theme which evokes Lynch.

BLACK LAKE is, however, not without faults. These were in a large part due to production issues as K/XI explains, “I originally planned to film in Pakistan in January 2017, but when I got there, actors dropped out, because they were afraid of supernatural occurrences, or it wasn’t deemed appropriate to work in a movie, said fathers to their daughters, or brothers to their sisters.”

Describing further of filming in Pakistan and the young actress in those scenes she says, “Naseema had a beautiful innocence to her and I could sense she had an adventurous spirit. I had met her on my first trip to Makli, where I was photographing the beautiful Necropolis and surrounding area. She allowed me to photograph her as part of my visit, where her independence shone through. I made the decision to return to Makli, find Naseema and make a teaser trailer. I supplied the villagers with clothes, footwear, and clean water in return for filming in their area. It felt incredible. However, the feeling was short-lived; it became dangerous to film as local authorities started to make it uncomfortable for Naseema’s family.”

K/XI says the decision was then made to complete filming in the UK, “I returned to London, put the trailer together, and amended the script, choosing to shoot in Scotland with a team, rather than filming solo in Pakistan. I invested my own money through my full-time job. Over 1000 women responded to the casting call for the lead actress, and about half of that for the role of the Churail. We shot in September 2017 in Scotland, but the experience didn’t reflect the depth or seriousness of the topic matter, resulting in the difficult decision to re-shoot. It wasn’t about the technical aspects of making a film, but about the deeper human connection with an important story. I was running out of time and money; BLACK LAKE was my demon to face, and I had to be the one to walk that path.” This ultimately led her to take on the lead role of Aarya. “The crew was downsized, while I directed and acted, which was an enormous challenge. However, I had a great team and it felt like a blessing to have the opportunity to portray this incredible woman.”

While for the most part, she is convincing and never melodramatic, as is common in many horror films, there feels a slight self-consciousness at times in dialogue scenes, possibly due to not having a co-star to play off of. K/XI understandably would have much preferred another actress to play Aarya but, as is common in low-budget independent cinema, needs must and if she had not stepped up the film maybe would not have been made as she envisaged it. Nevertheless, she does come into her own in the non-dialogue sequences, which make up the bulk of the running time, particularly as the horror oozes in. BLACK LAKE works wonderfully when wordless as the aim was storytelling via visuals, sound, and music. Many a time Lynch’s and Roeg’s stylings come to mind admirably, and as with their movies each rewatch reveals more. A rape scene inspired by THE EVIL DEAD is nowhere near as gratuitous, with the focus on the devastating after-effects making it more impactful, and a death scene is far more effective for not being graphic; both perfect examples of less is more in a horror movie.

K/XI explained her reasons for wanting to return and remould BLACK LAKE, “This director’s cut is far closer to my original vision of the film, and it was necessary to rework the energy of the film after all the setbacks we had during production and even afterwards.” Going into more detail about the changes she said, “It features a brand new split score by BurningTapes and female Canadian composer Teagan Johnston. The aim was to have a much more balanced sound in the film as the story is female-centred. It was equally as important to bring on board a composer who understood the core message of the film and work with those difficult emotions. I pushed for a more art-house feel through the editing, stripping down a lot of the original synth-heavy score, and having a completely new sound design by Tatsujiro Oto. This director’s cut has now entirely replaced the original version of the film.”

It is impossible to argue against the changes made that take BLACK LAKE to a whole other level. Most noticeably the music and sound in the original cut do not allow absorption of the imagery and feelings. I found this to be frustrating and made me glad to have experienced the director’s cut first. As good as the music is in the original cut, it feels out of place, with the new music and sound being far more suitably symbiotic to the overall tone and imagery. Alongside this is the added opening monologue over the Scottish landscape perfectly setting the tone and so heightening the immersive nature. This leads to accentuating the peace and calm Aarya feels in the early parts and then the encroaching horror as it reveals itself and takes her over. Ayvianna Snow as the Churail impresses with predominately a physical performance, and more so due to very little use of special or visual effects. With trims and tweaks to some scenes it all now makes for a better flow that enhances the characters and story, also better capturing the Roeg and Lynch aesthetics, so making the director’s cut a far more fulfilling experience that stays in the mind long after the closing credits.

BLACK LAKE is without a shadow of a doubt a passionate labour of love for K/XI, that in its thematic relevance is a story she needed to tell.

“It seemed pertinent for the #metoo movement to take off while I was filming BLACK LAKE. Violence isn’t always at the hands of men; BLACK LAKE is a personal journey and experience about violation, through the hands of someone who has been a victim, making it a deeply emotional and complex monster movie.”

K/XI showcases her growth since MAYA and continues to highlight herself amongst some of the most interesting and intriguing filmmakers of recent years in genre cinema. Which does make it extremely exciting to see where she goes next with future projects.

BLACK LAKE: DIRECTOR’S CUT is currently screening on the festival circuit and is highly recommended for those wanting a different, intelligent, more substantial horror movie that has something to say about real-world issues.

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