Following a new government order to arrest them, teenage children of undocumented immigrants end up working at a rest home that has many secrets.
This horror-comedy with more than a touch of satire written by Diego Hallivis and Julio Hallivis and directed by the former is one that touches on hard subjects and makes them more palatable by adding comedy to the proceeding. This is a film that has a lot to say and feels like it makes its points by entertaining the viewer. The story is a bit on the farfetched side of this in terms of the horror elements and how the rest home is managed and what happens there, but the source, the how the characters end up there is something that will make more than one viewer uncomfortable in how close to what some politicians want it is. The film makes no excuses and takes the issue of immigration and children of undocumented immigrants and shows the impact of laws on these people who have been born in the country to people who weren’t as their only supposed mistake. This film here has a political background which is important. It also is most definitely a horror-comedy so it brings real fears into play along with some much more far-fetched ones, mixes them with comedy that works and gives the viewer something to be entertained by while also giving them something to think about.
The cast here is fantastic, led by Jorge Lendeborg Jr. who is a strong presence on screen with a good sense of timing. Jenna Ortega who is quickly becoming the most familiar new face in horror works alongside Lendeborg here and she’s fantastic as usual. The rest of the cast is great, everyone really giving a personality and stakes to their character, helping bring in the viewers who can identify with them and their struggles fairly easily. On the “bad guy” side of things, Eric Dane plays the maniacal leader of the rest home, a doctor with less than charming intentions. His work here is a bit over the top at times, but not all that much in that it works for the character. Brett Cullen plays the politician who puts the order in place to win his election and has it turn into something much worse than he expected. Cullen gives his politician cunning and a truly despicable angle which work great in this setting.
The film’s look, the cinematography by Unax Mendia is on point here, bright, colorful at times, a bit more grey at others, but still lively. The images here give the film life and make it come apart from other darker horror-comedies of late, bringing color to a dark subject. It works and brings the viewer in early on. There is style here and it’s one that works with the subject. The film overall has a great visual style, giving the viewer plenty to see while also not hiding the action in overly stylized sequences or overly edited scenes.
American Carnage is an effective horror-comedy with a couple of very real issues at its heart, immigration and overt capitalism. It does take a somewhat in your face approach to things, but sometimes, the clear image is the one people will understand better. The film is entertaining while also making the viewer think a bit. Yes, it’s a lot and it’s colorfully bold, but it’s also a great watch.