These stereotypes date back centuries, and have been used to sideline them, banish them, or-as the Nazis did-kill them. But this "gypsy" chapter trucks in every stereotype of the Romani population (they are thieves, they kidnap children, they are dangerous, they believe in curses, etc.). The weirdness here could have been one of those tangents like the "Sister Christian" episode in " Boogie Nights" or any number of the "episodes" in " Pulp Fiction," where the main characters are drawn into side "scenes" peopled with unpredictable characters. Desperate to pay his debts, Eli agrees to visit a nearby carnival, run by "gypsies" (referred to as such in the film), who apparently have a stash of "Jew gold" (again, referred to as such), hoarded during the Holocaust. "What Josiah Saw" goes down many weird byways. I've been a fan since his trembling terrified teenage performance in the unfairly forgotten (and hard to find) " Eye of God." Stahl has been through a lot, and it shows on his face: it's etched with hardship, sensitivity and pain. The sordidness is sicker than anything dreamt up by Flannery O'Connor. It gives an eerie sense of emptiness about to be filled by something terrible.
Eventually, Eli and Mary are drawn back to the family farm, to confront their shared past of degradation and terror.Ĭinematographer Carlos Ritter creates the creepy mood: lots of slow camera moves, isolated shots of empty rooms, misty light barely able to make it through the window panes. No adoption agency in their right mind would approve her application.
Her husband ( Tony Hale) seems almost afraid of his wife. Mary, who had a tubal ligation as a young woman (understandable, considering her family), is now pursuing adoption. Eli is an ex-con (he did time for statutory rape: "I didn't know she was 16"), is under suspicion for kidnapping a nine-year-old girl, and owes money to scary guys who will kill him if he doesn't pay up. He keeps his dad liquored up and can't sleep at night. Dominated by his father, traumatized by his entire life history, Thomas can barely get through a moment without bursting into tears. Separated into three discrete chapters, one for each Graham child, "What Josiah Saw" is almost an anthology film, each section distinct in style and mood. This is not a workable plan to move forward. Josiah is convinced Miriam is in Hell, and it is up to the family to save her from hellfire. Thomas is convinced his mother haunts the place, wandering the grounds at night.
#Buried prey book review Patch#
Whatever went down on this gloomy patch of land was bad all the way through. One scene is so legitimately traumatizing I am almost sorry I watched it.
Josiah spends his days drunk, and Thomas caters to his dad, trying to please him. One of the secrets isn't revealed until almost the final moment of the film, although you can probably guess it early on. Mother Miriam is long dead, and the local sheriff tells the story of her death (it's horrifying) to two visiting oil men, who want to buy the Graham farm for drilling purposes. The Biblical names are a clue to the background noise of the family. Two siblings have flown the coop-Eli (Stahl) and Mary (Garner). The isolated Graham family farm lies on the outskirts of a forgotten Texas town, and the only inhabitants left are drunken patriarch Josiah (Parker) and his developmentally-disabled son Thomas (Haze).
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