Being part of a ‘scene’ is never easy, especially when it dies out and leaves you behind. This is where we find Ennio, an avid VHS collector who has dreams of reviving the video cassette phenomenon and opening his own store.
He runs into trouble when one his collectables goes missing and an anonymous person wants to buy it for 10,000 Euros. The waters are mudied further for Ennio as he meets kindred spirit Simone, a similiar lost soul in a world that’s left her behind.
She is obsessed with the 80’s and often glams her self up, but fails to get the likes and attention on her social media to justify her retro style.
Videoman is effectively a real messed up and endearing love story. With elements of a giallo, it also has a pumping retro synth soundtrack which suits its dystopian world.
At times it feels like a film within a film, as Ennio and one of his friends argue who is better Argento or Fulci, oblivious to the giallo style film they are both in.
The cinematography is at times beautiful and really captures the cold hard, capitalist world a free spirit like Ennio has become trapped in, but Simone injects colour and purpose to his life.
It’s unconventional and a metaphor for craving a physical connection over something superficial like social media attention. Videoman thrives on its low budget, putting more into dialogue and full fleshed out characters than special effects ever could.
Videoman is released through Frightfest Presents on 18th February on DVD and Digital.
Bloody Flicks 