24 Exposures

24 Exposures
Directed by Joe Swanberg
Produced by
  • Alex Orr
  • Alexander Motlagh
Written by Joe Swanberg
Starring
Cinematography Adam Pinney
Edited by Joe Swanberg
Production
company
Popfilms
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • August 4, 2013 (FIFF)[1]
Running time
 77 minutes
Country United States
Language English

24 Exposures is a 2013 erotic thriller film written and directed by Joe Swanberg. It stars Adam Wingard as a fetish photographer who becomes involved in a murder mystery and Simon Barrett as the detective who investigates the crime.

Plot

Billy, a fetish photographer who specializes in staged depictions of dead women, becomes involved in a murder mystery when one of his models turns up dead for real. Michael Bamfeaux, a depressed police detective, investigates the crime and probes Billy as to why he chooses to involve himself in the world of exploitation and fetish. Billy can not explain why he does what he does, except that he accepts that he is attracted to certain ideas and women. As the two men become friendlier, Michael becomes more involved in Billy's photoshoots. When Alex, Billy's girlfriend, is attacked by a jealous model with whom Billy and Alex had a threesome, Michael shoots and kills Alex's attacker. Michael later attempts to sell his memoirs, but a literary agent suggests that the story's loose ends and weak protagonist are not a good sell.

Cast

Director Swanberg appears in a cameo as the literary agent.

Production

Swanberg was inspired by the collaborations between Wingard and Barrett in previous films, whom he called an "odd couple" with opposing personalities. Swanberg also wanted to discuss the reasons why people are drawn to exploitation and genre films.[2]

Release

24 Exposures premiered at the 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival on August 4, 2013.[1] IFC Films released it theatrically and on video on demand on January 24, 2014.[3] It was released on DVD on May 27, 2014.[4]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 29% of 17 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 4.9/10.[5] Metacritic rated it 42/100 based on ten reviews.[6] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the acting and wrote that the film is "mostly for Swanberg devotees."[7] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Unfortunately, this would-be erotic thriller is just too unfocused and slapdash to satisfy its promise."[8] Andy Webster of The New York Times called it a "slight effort" that "ultimately becomes a queasy bromance, the foundation of which is less than flattering."[9] Bruce Ingram of The Chicago Sun-Times compared it to Cinemax After Dark and called it "a clever idea that never got past the concept stage".[10] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club rated it B− and wrote, "24 Exposures isn't entirely successful, though it is packed with ideas".[11] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine rated it 3/4 stars and wrote, "Though 24 Exposures often appears to be more of a sketch for a future film than the ultimate realization of these ideas, it shows a gifted filmmaker threatening to update the formal self-reflexivity of a craftsman like Brian De Palma for a generation that's growing increasingly accustomed to images rendered more privately, and considerably more on the fly."[12] Evan Dickson of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "As a rule, if you hate what most people consider to be mumblecore, this isn't the movie for you. But if you’re open to this somewhat shambolic riff on noir, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised."[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dickson, Evan (2013-08-02). "Exclusive Look At the Highly Sexual, Violent NSFW ’24 Exposures’ Trailer!!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  2. ↑ Dickson, Evan (2014-01-17). "5 Questions With '24 Exposures' Director Joe Swanberg!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  3. ↑ Dickson, Evan (2014-01-24). "[BD Review] ’24 Exposures’ Is A Successfully Bloody Twist On Cinemax Noir". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  4. ↑ Whittaker, Richard (2014-05-27). "DVD Watch: '24 Exposures'". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  5. ↑ "24 Exposures (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  6. ↑ "24 Exposures". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  7. ↑ DeFore, John (2013-08-05). "24 Exposures: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  8. ↑ Goldstein, Gary (2014-01-23). "Review: '24 Exposures' takes a subpar stab at crime thriller". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  9. ↑ Webster, Andy (2014-01-23). "It’s a Guy Thing". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  10. ↑ Ingram, Bruce (2014-02-06). "'24 Exposures': Mumblecore meets softcore meets big bore". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  11. ↑ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (2014-01-23). "Joe Swanberg’s 24 Exposures toys around with genre conventions". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  12. ↑ Bowen, Chuck (2014-01-19). "24 Exposures". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  13. ↑ Dickson, Evan (2014-01-23). "[BD Review] '24 Exposures' Is A Fun, Bloody Riff On Exploitation". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2014-10-12.

External links