Films
DIGITAL UNDERGROUND
In
the Dark
Saturday,
August 26,9:30pm, Cell
Clifton Holmes, 2000, 100 min, West Coast Premiere
Jane's bored. As the new librarian in the public library, she finds there's
not much to do in the late evening. But one night, she returns to her
desk after stacking books and finds a note on her chair - a $50 bill along
with an invitation to play a game. The signature reads, "Master of Games
(MOG)." Mystified, she follows the direction to Look Homeward, Angel and
pulls out the Thomas Wolfe book of the same name. Nothing. Hearing a sound
behind her, she turns to find Brace, a grad student who suggests she look
inside the other copy of the book. Another note, another game that's a
little more difficult. And this time, $100. Feisty Jane is sure Brace
is behind the whole thing -- that it's a ploy to get to know her. He denies
it over and over, claiming he doesn't have that kind of money to throw
around. Jane's not convinced, but she's sort of attracted to him and definitely
attracted to the game -- it's not only intriguing, but each time she follows
the instruction, the money increases exponentially. The game grows more
demanding, more dangerous, more perverse -- and more lucrative. Brace
anxiously orders her to quit playing but Jane's no pushover and now the
money's getting way too good. And she really wants to find out who MOG
is. Brace? The weird late-night jogger? The seemingly clueless neighbor
she visits in response to a game instruction? Beautifully shot in atmospheric
black and white, "In The Dark" is truly mysterious, creepy and ultimately
shocking -- you'll never find this game on a shelf at Blockbuster.
--Chicago Underground Film Festival