CAVIE

A group of six people, strangers to each other, are drugged, kidnapped, and transported in a van inside a fenced forest area from which it is impossible to escape. Along with them, a wooden crate containing weapons of all kinds and a military tactics manual is unloaded. The six now have the sole objective of surviving, choosing whether to be prey or predators. "Cavie" has a singular genesis. The film directed by the Manetti Bros. ("Zora la vampira"; "Paura 3D") was born as a final project of the (defunct) Rome Film School, where in 2008 the same directors had held a Master in Acting. The final film was supposed to involve the 12 actor/students to put into practice what they had learned. The Manettis explain that originally this "final test" was supposed to be a short film, but giving equal space to all 12 actors was difficult, so the idea of a feature film reflecting group dynamics within an "artificial" microcosm was born. "Cavie" came out, a survival horror of uneven quality that reveals a lot of goodwill but also the poverty of means that lies behind the operation. Zero budget and the desire to create a survival horror in which gruesome images are mixed with a reflection on social interaction dynamics. In the end, the desire to make an entertaining film prevails over the voluntary sociological key, and all the scenes that involve the "outside world", the individuals who manipulate, seem poorly amalgamated with the whole, almost intrusive as if trying in every way to give an explanation to the events frankly unnecessary (also because unclear). All in all, "Cavie" seems a blend of "Cube - The Cube" (the initial situation in which some strangers find themselves coexisting and fighting in a hostile place without knowing why they are there), "Severance - Tagli al personale" (the setting and the use of weapons of war) and "Battle Royale" (kill to survive), although the authors say they were inspired mainly by the TV series "Lost" to show rivalries and alliances within the group and with external groups. The biggest problem with "Cavie" is the lack of fluidity, both narrative and action, which ends up making this feature film seem almost interminable. The beginning is interesting and the entire preparation part works well, showing us a fauna of aspiring victims disparate and partly well defined. Then, when "the others" appear - lostianly speaking, of course - and the real struggle for survival begins, paradoxically the film slows down, folds in on itself and becomes repetitive, uninteresting. Obviously, at the end the rhythm becomes frenetic, the action takes over and some memorable scenes of grotesque violence appear. Perhaps cutting something from the editing would be the wisest choice for a film of this type. Technically speaking, the film presents all the limits of a zero-budget production. Unfortunately, little serves a certain care for homemade special effects (well done, really) if then everything else appears visibly poorly cared for given the limits of the case. Of course, this is not a fault that can be attributed to the directors, who with three weeks and without a euro have nevertheless put together a feature film that can be followed from beginning to end. The actors, the focal point of the operation because it was born on them, proceed between highs and lows. Some are certainly capable, others much less and it is surprising that the most valid are the first to leave the scene leaving room for those who perhaps give a more forced interpretation. In a small part, you can also recognize the director Gabriele Albanesi ("Il bosco fuori"; "Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show"), who plays in a very funny way the "awkward" "sacrificable" of the group. For fans of the TV series "Ispettore Coliandro" (a creation of the Manetti Bros.), I note that Giampaolo Morelli and his character also make a vocal cameo at the beginning of the film. The Manetti Bros. have decided not to distribute "Cavie" in theaters and perhaps we will never see it even on home video, by precise choice of those who made it. Partly, one can understand this will, given the almost amateurish nature of the film, but there is really worse out there... much worse, so a possibility of visibility for this tiny film could be quietly given. If it ever happens, naturally do not expect anything exceptional.