SCI-FI-LONDON REVIEWS

Back in May, EXIT played to a packed cinema at the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival. We wish we could have attended in person, but were hugely pleased with everything we heard about the film's introduction and reception. Here are some reviews that appeared after the screening:

Eye For Film: "Whether the exit leads to another physical world, a new dimension or an enlightened, meta-physical plane remains tantalisingly unexplained throughout this impressively written, performed and shot slow burner. [...] Exit has the feel of an urban riff on Stalker, with the long sought after exit door promising much the same as the room at the heart of The Zone in Tarkovsky’s peerless science fiction classic. Charlie Kaufman, Jean-Luc Godard and the Davids Cronenberg and Lynch come to mind as well, though Polgar and Pedler are no mere imitators as Exit is possessed of its own clear style."

TwitchFilm: "The world of the film feels very unnatural, and you almost wish you could go inside and help them find their salvation. This is a quiet, deliberately somewhat uncomfortable, and engaging film, meant for rainy afternoons when you can leave the theatre and walk the streets and wonder. Heavy, most definitely, but not unbearably so. It's the kind of film that will make you start to look for your own camera, following you as you walk through the streets, randomly trying doorknobs."

Empire: "Persuasively scripted by Martyn Pedler, this is fascinating exercise in superstition and supposition that will have everyone wondering as they approach the next unfamiliar doorway. Strikingly photographed by Sasha Whitehouse and edited by Patrick McCabe to prevent the audience from settling, the action benefits considerably from production designer Esther Justin's evocative ephemera and perturbing cityscape models. The performances are equally consternating, as the characters become increasingly desperate and untrustworthy. [...] But what most impresses is Polgar's measured direction and confident use of locations across Melbourne..."

Quiet Earth: "Marek Polgar’s Exit focuses on its characters’ Ballardian psychological makeup, exploring their rationalizations and obsessive motivations. [...] It’s an incredible film in its own right, which is in dire need of an explanatory sequel."

Thanks to everyone who attended, and to all who were moved to write something about it afterwards. It's always fascinating to hear others' theories - and sometimes disappointments - about EXIT.