RABIES
At first glance the title of this Israeli film (billed as the country's first horror film, btw) seems incredibly incongruous. I mean there are no slavering Saint Bernards or rabid raccoons attacking the protagonists anywhere in the film. But once the sardonically wry ending unfolds you realize that the title is incredibly apropos; the core theme of the film is rage, violence, and erratic behavior.
To this end we are greeted with a diverse ensemble cast consisting of incompetent map readers, incestual siblings, creepy cops, jealous lovers, serial killers, and innocent accidental participants. Toss in some rusty bear traps, forgotten land mines, and peeing in the woods and you've got yourself one helluva comedy of terrors.
Those are just some of the things bubbling through the insanely bugged out plot of this 2010 release. In short, Rabies is a strange melange of genre tropes, yet despite its familiarity it resonates with a fresh sense of off-kilter consternation.
The best thing about this film is that you never know just exactly where it’s headed; it starts going one way and then veers precariously into a completely different direction. Keeping the audience on their toes and constantly guessing is its major strength. That and a wonderfully weird sense of macabre humor.
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