Three Imaginary Girls

Seattle's Indie-Pop Press – Music Reviews, Film Reviews, and Big Fun

I’ve never heard of “hallucinogenic eco-terror” before, but it’s definitely the perfect way to describe Without Name.

Surveyor Eric {Alan McKenna. He has such a nice face! I really like his face} heads out into the middle of an Irish forest to escape his falling-apart marriage and try to save his business. The forest is HUGE and contains an insane amount of gorgeous trees—but it’s not long before Eric starts noticing something is a little off.

While grabbing a pint at the pub the locals fuel his already-piqued curiosity, and by the time his mistress shows up he’s ready to believe almost anything. Then new buddy Gus offers some psychedelic exploration, which Eric initially declines but then somehow “accidentally” uses up the rest of the stash. BAD IDEA.

Spooky forests + doing ‘shrooms = worst midlife crisis ever.

Director Lorcan Finnegan amps up the trippy feel by adding stroboscopic sequences, the soundtrack is atmospheric as fuck, and the slow, deliberate unraveling of the story is pretty glorious. I’m still not entirely sure what happened, but I know I liked it.

Pro tip: If you ever find a handwritten journal left in your cabin by the now catatonic former inhabitant, LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE.

{Without Name screens at SIFF Sunday, May 28, 9pm at Lincoln Square; Friday, June 2, 9:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown; and Sunday, June 4, 9:30pm at SIFF Cinema Egyptian}