I imagine Olivier Labonté Lemoyne’s is going to lend itself to all kinds of interpretations. Maybe it’s just abstract for the sake of being abstract? Who knows? In either case, “Nu” succeeds in being as oddly creepy as it does in being kind of silly, exploring the idea of fear vulnerability. The whole concept of beings that look like nudists plays on the whole nature of voyeurism and the reluctance by many to engage in it.
There are tons of inexplicable moments in “Nu” that never actually amount to much, save for some interesting horror that gets under one’s skin. Olivier Labonté Lemoyne is very good at setting the stage for a classic horror scenario where the pair of characters are in the woods alone and prey to literally anything lurking in the dark. Although there’s the established thrill seeking element with the wife, there’s not a ton of explanation as to why and why this particular spot meant more than anything else to her? There are a lot of plot points tossed out including this tribe of nudists, and the wife’s functioning on seizure medication, and the wife’s inherent curiosity with what’s lingering outside of their car.
Beyond that nothing is ever fully explained leaving the audience so much room for their own ideas that may or may not be correct. In either case, while “Nu” left me lukewarm, Olivier Labonté Lemoyne is a solid director who is very good at setting up creepy set pieces. His moments of claustrophobia and isolation are beautifully staged and the idea of this whole sense of vulnerability becoming their undoing is an intriguing idea.
I just wish we’d have gotten a firmer sense of what was unfolding
This year, the 5th edition of Film Maudit 2.0, Highways’ showcase and celebration of outré films, runs Thursday June 12th to Sunday June 16th.