#david liz

SYNOPSIS:  Eliza, a young Latina woman, is haunted by a traumatic event she experienced while in the military, so her African American boyfriend, Roe, takes her on a ranch vacation to help relieve her anxiety and panic attacks. But once there, they find themselves in a fight for their lives as they attempt to elude the demented racial experiments of a doctor William Godwin who has gone mad due to the traumatic death of his wife.

REVIEW: I have to admit that based on the trailer I cringed. It seemed like an over the top exploitation genre film. Filmmaker David Liz and screenwriter Manuel Delgadillo set out to tell a tale that combines a variety of different elements, from as far back as “The Island of Dr. Moreau” to a contemporary film like "Get Out.” Upon viewing the film I felt it is an ambitious endeavor with an interesting cast of characters.

The narrative is nicely constructed as it deals racism and sexual abuse. It subtly explores the nature and horror of racial division and proposes a horrific solution. There are some modern plot points that drive the story, including the location being listed on an Airbnb-like platform. It is isolated enough so that what transpires feels plausible. The central characters, Eliza and William Godwin, have well constructed background stories. The dialogue feels natural. The relationship between Eliza and Roe, her boyfriend, is adeptly constructed. The story held my interest, however there is little to the science that is plausible and seems to rely more on the 1818 technology of Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein.”

I liked the cast. Camila Rodríguez and Vincent De Paul anchor the film with their performances. Roe Dunkley is believable as a concerned boyfriend, but as things develop at the “ranch” his performance begins to lack a bit of gravitas. I enjoyed Crist Moward as a ranch hand/Igor. There is an aspect to the character that is never explained and it is suggested that he is a beneficiary of Godwin’s experiments. Overall, a solid ensemble cast.

THE WELDER is clearly an independent/homegrown genre film. The production values are impressive and the location adds a lot of value to the look of the film. The costumes feel like they might have been provided by the talent. The film's final act goes down rather quickly, so the special and visual effects don’t give you much time to think about them. They don’t feel logical and they’re graphic enough to keep the viewer from dwelling on them for too long. Some of the additional production designs to the doctor’s lab seem a bit overkill, pun intended. Still, they are obviously trying hard here to grab the viewer.

THE WELDER is an interesting, skillfully acted film with a nice location that is well shot and edited. It held my interest for the most part, but the film’s climax seems a bit rushed and the logic does not work well. Given the ambitious narrative, the multiple jobs Liz takes on, the talent and filmmakers do an admirable job for an independent low-budget horror movie.

CAST: Vincent De Paul, Camila Rodriguez, Roe Dunkley, Crist Moward, and Anthony Vazquez. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor - David Liz; Screenplay - Manuel Delgadillo; Producers - Vincent De Paul, Kirsten Lea, and Salvatore Zannino; Score - James Hall; Costume Designer - Shelly White; Special Effects - Emilio Remoir & Antonio Alonso OFFICIAL: www.thewelderfilm.com FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/aAmt0sDhHsw RELEASE DATE: On Digital February 24th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)