★★☆☆☆
Harris Atkin’s latest feature Sour Minnows makes its debut at Fantasia Film Festival. An obscure genre mashup that takes a big swing, but fails to connect.
Along with directing the film, Atkin also pens the script for what appears to be a campy, comedic take on Videodrome, but without the subtextual detail and commentary on society at the time and where it was quickly headed.
The characters are quirky, and the dialogue is overly tongue-in-cheek throughout the film’s first act. From the awkward date scene to the conversations between Tepper and Ricky, everything feels intentionally strange. That is, until they come across the street lickers and everything begins to become increasingly deranged.
As the film’s narrative begins to shift and the surreal world comes into play, the film lacks the substance needed to create any meaningful connection to what is happening or why it matters. The scenes feel odd, off-kilter, and disconnected.
“An obscure genre mashup that takes a big swing, but fails to connect.”
We get bizarre dream moments where Ricky is eating grapes out of someone’s hand, a sequence that feels unrelated and completely out of left field.
Ryu Yoshizawa’s score is bizarre, off-tone, and completely irrelevant to the events unfolding on screen.
At no point does the score truly match or flow with the film. Instead, it showcases an intention to be obscure, contradictory, and detached from what would normally be considered complementary.
Yet despite the expectation of being different and challenging convention, the score’s pursuit of obscurity makes a bold statement that ultimately derails the film’s momentum rather than stabilizing it.
“The score’s pursuit of obscurity derails the film’s momentum rather than stabilizing it.”
The cinematography starts off loose and feels more uninspired than intentional. Few scenes feel as though the camera work is a product of vision rather than merely capturing what is in front of it, giving the film a sloppy and unfocused feel.
Atkin’s vision doesn’t improve from script to screen. The pacing and tone remain scattered and all over the place.
The film opens with a quirky interaction that offers little substance, followed by Ricky and his roommate going grocery shopping and engaging in inconsequential conversations that lack any meaningful foundation.
By the time Atkin introduces the film’s high-concept artistic approach, it no longer feels compelling. Instead, it feels muddled.
The pacing is inconsistent and the narrative never finds its rhythm, offering the audience whiplash rather than storytelling and intrigue.
David Brown and Chase Williamson’s performances are part of what makes the film so unappealing. Neither lead manages to craft a character worth investing in.
“A hodgepodge of ideas that can never quite get out of its own way.”
Sour Minnows ends up being one of those films that fails to excel at crafting either a coherent or engaging narrative.
What remains is a hodgepodge of ideas that can never quite get out of its own way.
It reminds me of a film I saw at Fantastic Fest years ago. I don’t remember the title, but I remember waiting for my next screening and talking with someone about what we had seen so far.
The film in question was their favorite of the festival. When I asked why, they explained that they loved how bizarre and completely disorienting it was.
That conversation came back to me while watching Sour Minnows.
To say this will become a cult classic is to suggest that a large audience will eventually discover and embrace it, much like Fight Club or Dazed and Confused. Instead, Sour Minnows feels more likely to find a home as an underground midnight movie for viewers drawn to its particular brand of bizarre and disorienting filmmaking.
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