THE LOCALS

Grant and Paul, two close friends, decide to spend a tasty weekend under the sign of surfing and pure fun. During the journey, during the night hours, they take a country road that should serve as a shortcut. They meet Lisa and Kelly, young and beautiful girls who invite the two boys to follow them to go, all together, to a party: Grant and Paul will only have to manage not to get lost. During the chase, the two boys go off the road and their car gets stuck in a ditch. The two then have to set off on foot in the endless countryside, hoping to find someone who can help them. During the search, however, they stumble upon the wrong house: in the home a brutal murder has just been committed and the two friends are the only witnesses. It will be the beginning of a terrifying chase in which Grant and Paul will have to save their skin from the murderous fury of a group of rough farmers intent on eliminating the eyewitnesses of the murder as well as invaders of their lands. For Paul and Grant the longest night of their lives has begun, which will bring to light a shocking reality. The nightmare has already begun... Made in New Zealand in 2003 but arrived to us, only for the home video market, a couple of years later, "The Locals" presents itself as an interesting thriller/horror with evident supernatural tints that, however, fails to exploit to the fullest all the potential that the plot was capable of offering. The film by Greg Page, in fact, relies on a base subject quite appealing and endowed with some even original twists but unfortunately all this is partly demolished by a screenplay (written by the same director) that has little familiarity with narrative times and that seems, especially at the end, very unsure about the explanation of the facts. The film, unfortunately, fails to capture the viewer's interest from the start due to a first half that has little or nothing to say, which, although very rhythmic, falls into the "trap" of the repetitiveness of the facts (for the first, abundant, forty minutes we find ourselves having to see the two protagonists running away through the countryside chased by these mysterious country folk) and that therefore can allow space for some yawns. In the second half, however, when the situation has managed to take a real narrative turn, what does not fully convince is the way in which the final explanation is given: there is, on the part of Page, a total uncertainty whether to give or not an explanation about everything that has just been seen; in the general uncertainty it is opted to give a sort of quite superficial explanation that does not allow the viewer to fully understand what they have seen, and the classic situation is had in which "not all the knots come to the comb". But even if the screenplay does not prove to be properly up to the task in handling the times and in the exposition of the facts, it manages to make up for it, paying the right attention to the character construction of the two main characters, Grant and Paul. It is rare to see in a similar production a particular study of the characters but in "The Locals" this component is not neglected. Obviously there will be no particularly in-depth study on the psychology of the characters but at least they manage not to be simple caricatures and, in one way or another, they manage to capture the viewer's empathy; a discussion valid only for the two protagonists since all the various supporting characters turn out to have a very superficial treatment. A positive note should also be given for the good use of natural scenery. The film is set entirely in the vast New Zealand countryside that, under the moonlight, manages to emit a particular charm that undoubtedly benefits the entire work. Greg Page's direction is quite impersonal and does not offer particular camera virtuosity intended to be remembered; while the cast, mostly made up of little-known faces, turns out, in the end, quite satisfactory. In conclusion, "The Locals" is a horror not entirely successful but that can be watched without too much effort. It gains points especially if related to all the products that reach us only for the home video market. Worth watching but nothing more.