Found. [2012]

FOUND. [2012]

Found. is a gripping and visceral coming-of-age story that will resonate with you long after its over.  Not since Martyrs [2008] has a horror film lingered within me, demanding extended time for complete and proper digestion.  And what I've been left with is absolute horror gratification.

Marty is a 12-year old child dealing with the full gamut of the banes of adolescence:  bullying, racism, family issues, abuse, self searching, sexuality.  And if that wasn't enough, Marty discovers his older brother, who's just beyond that all important age gap for siblings to have any symbiotic relationship, is a serial killer.  As cheesy as that last detail sounds, Found. is anything but cheesy.

Found. is powerful and emotionally draining, with sincere, honest and thought provoking themes.  All credit goes to the performances of the on-screen brothers, excellent direction by first time captain at the helm, Scott Schirmer and very able sound and photography crew.  Further credit goes to the production staff for their work with amateur equipment and a budget under $10,000.  But back to the performances.

Any film with a leading actor under the legal age to drive, the end result will solely depend on the child's ability to carry the film, and actor Gavin Brown (Marty) quite simply owned Found.  Not only was Brown believable, but he evoked feelings of sympathy, caring and understanding.  Ever his equal was Ethan Philbeck who plays the role of older brother and serial killer, Steve.  Their scenes together were fantastic.

Not without faults, outside of Brown and Philbeck, most performances in Found. were forced and distracting, but at least short in duration, so as to not detract anything from the overall value of the film.  The fake film "Headless" shown during the film seemed out of place, inconsistent and unnecessary, considering the mostly implied violence of the climactic ending and general tone.

Found. does so well what other indie horrors don't even dare to pursue.  It has shock without exploitation, depth without loss, and meaning without complication.  Fantastic horror.

9/10