Guy Maddin writes, Tscherkassky has made two films cannibalizing Sidney J. Furie's 1982 Barbara Hershey horror film THE ENTITY, the story of a woman who is continually assaulted and raped either by real ghosts or by awfully adept repressed traumas… The screen literally explodes with a tumult of Hershey faces, shattering Steve Burum's original cinematography into shards of frightened eyes, trembling hands and violent outbursts of self-defense, presented in multiple exposures too layered to count, too arresting to ignore.
In this smart and erotic psychological thriller from alumni filmmaker Nate Dushku, we follow bird watcher Kristian Brooks as he invades a nude queer campground in New Hampshire, manipulating others to serve his dark fetish while blurring the line between protagonist and antagonist. For fans of Stranger By the Lake, BIRDER captivates and challenges its audience, bringing into conversation questions of consent and overt sexuality. Actor Michael Emery gives a complex and enigmatic lead performance that is equal parts sexy and terrifying, and the naturalistic setting and minimalistic filmmaking style only further serve this sophisticated and wildly adventurous narrative.