IN THE MARKET

David, Sarah, and Nicole are three young people traveling to a GTO concert. During a stop at a gas station, they are robbed. Without money, hungry, and nearing nightfall, the trio decides to hide in the restrooms of a supermarket until the store closes. The initial euphoria of the three will soon be tempered by the presence in the store of a man, the butcher, who at night is used to preparing the meat cuts that are displayed on his counter during the day... cuts of human flesh! Despite what some still claim today—that Italian horror cinema is dead—here comes a new tricolor product of the genre that this time tells the story of cannibal butchers. The problem with today's Italian horror cinema market is not the number of genre films, which are actually increasing, but their 'relevance' within the broader cinematic landscape. For the most part, these are independent films that circulate little and only within the circuit of enthusiasts: sometimes they are of great value, other times of mediocre quality, but the important thing, for now, is that the market is alive and always growing. 'In the Market,' by the very young Umbrian director Lorenzo Lombardi, is somewhat of an emblematic case because it positions itself as an independent product, but with all the credentials to find a place even in the mainstream market. Unfortunately, however, it is also true that 'In the Market' has many, perhaps too many, limitations that ultimately undermine the film's success. Inspired by a purported true story and self-promoted as the Italian answer to 'Saw' and 'Hostel,' 'In the Market' in reality has little to do with the films by Wan and Roth except for a 'torture moment' that occupies the last 10 minutes of the movie. For the rest of its excessive runtime (108 minutes), 'In the Market' is a teen-oriented road movie that indulges too much in gratuitous chatter. Lombardi's clear intention was to reference Tarantino's cinema, with endless 'fantastical' dialogues and a small foray into pulp with the gas station robbery (where, not coincidentally, you can glimpse images of 'Grindhouse – Death Proof' on a TV). The objective, however, was not achieved because, although the robbery scene is well shot and quite entertaining, the tedious car dialogues that accompany nearly an hour of the film are truly excessive. The almost fixed shot on the windshield of the SUV and the three young people chatting, sometimes boring the audience with gratuitously digressive references to cinema, such as explicit mentions of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Hostel,' and 'Vacancy.' There is also a 'considerable' reference to 'The Descent – Descent into Darkness'; it's up to you to spot it. This persistent and questionable celebration of the horror cinema of the very recent years also goes a bit against the film itself (or vice versa), since, excluding the last very successful minutes, there is not even a shadow of horror in Lombardi's film. One might simply consider 'In the Market' poorly calibrated, unbalanced entirely towards the preparation and then hastily resolved regarding the central theme, namely cannibalistic horror. The last impressive minutes, however, manage to leave a mark, thanks to the cruelty of the situation and the realism of the special effects, curated by maestro Sergio Stivaletti. Even in terms of acting, not everything is praiseworthy. The performance of the cruel Ottaviano Blitch ('Italians,' 'Shadow'), in the role of the butcher, is excellent, and with this character actor—who is also the nighttime voice of Virgin Radio—we may have found a new Klaus Kinski. But the three young protagonists—Marco Martini, Elisa Sensi, and Rossella Caiani—although very willing, do not appear very convincing, especially due to a theatrical approach that detracts from the naturalness of their performances. A more careful script and a reduction in runtime by cutting some dialogues in the first part could have already done a lot for the film. With more attention to detail, 'In the Market' could have offered much more, so it has the feel of a debut work (even if the director has another feature film to his credit) by an author still unripe. Trivia. 'In the Market' won in five categories at the 2009 Tenebria Film Festival, including best feature film.