From Black
Written by: Jessub Flower, Thomas Marchese
Directed by: Thomas Marchee
Starring: Anna Camp, John Ales, Jennifer Lafleur
Anna Camp plays Cora, a recovering drug addict dealing with the weight of survivors guilt and struggling to find closure after the disappearance of her son.
One day, in counseling Anna is confronted by Abel (John Ales) who asks her a simple quetion, “What if you could see him again?”
From Black is a well written, well acted movie about the struggles of addiction, grief and how far we’re willing to go to become whole again. Anna Camp gives a wonderful performance in the lead role. She appears exhausted and beaten down at almost every turn but there’s also a hint of hope to her. She’s very believable as a character trying her best to crawl out of the darkness and murk of her past and set things right.
John Ales gives an incredible performance as a father who lost his daughter and is struggling to come to terms with what that means for his life. Every time he’s on screen he radiates sorrow. He is a man that has been beaten down and broken and seemingly succumbed to it all.
When the two characters meet up, they start performing rituals meant to peel back the veil and see their children. The creature design for these parts is excellent. It’s very creepy and threatening but never malicious. It has this really cool detached from standard reality feeling to it that adds to how unsettling it is on screen.
Overall, I really enjoyed From Black. It’s a beautiful look into the world of survivor guilt, grief and addiction and just how much a parent would sacrifice for their children.