48 Hours in Purgatory (2009) User Reviews

Facing your demons

[chronic_kiko · 8/10 · 9 June 2010]

I have recently been fortunate enough to see the premiere of 48 Hours in Purgatory. The independent film by SKG Films which was directed and written by Jason Armstrong is a well written and well acted masterpiece. Many low budget independent films turn out cheesy, with horrible acting and a storyline that was thought up in under ten minutes. I am pleased to say that 48 Hours in Purgatory managed to stay true to the independent film industry without appearing overconfident and self indulged.

48 Hours in Purgatory brings forth the story of four well-known film makers who were in the process of their newest documentary. The basis of the documentary was to have a few individuals who volunteered to be locked in a small room without windows or clocks while in complete solitude for 48 hours. During this lock-down, the subjects would have to face their inner demons as their past comes up to hunt them. While the story mainly focuses on these said subjects, it also goes into the personal lives of the film makers themselves.

Brody Hawkins, played by Andrew Roth, is the leader of the film company. Accompanied by his team members; Veronique Villemaire (Emily Alatalo), Jagt (Sean Saska), and Arkham (J.C. Hewitt) he sets out to create a film which will force him to reflect on his own hidden skeletons. Haunted by images of his past, Brody tries to make sense of his present and to finally let go and move on.

There are a few theories that come to my mind as I watched the film. Without giving away any spoilers, it would be hard to explain them. However, the film truly digs into the human psyche and makes us, the viewers, contemplate which parts of the film are reality and which are just figment of Brody's imagination.

The musical score is excellent with the original music being done by talented, Tony Longworth, and the acting is superb. A few honourable mentions go out to Sean Szutka; the psychologically disturbed Mark a.k.a "Bones", Jaclyn Scobie; the ever most dramatic sex worker, Jenna Jade Rain; the University student with a dark past, Robin Barker; the professor who has lost someone to a tragedy and finally the ever so enchanting Danielle Williams whose origins are left to personal interpretation.

The premiere for 48 Hours was an immense success. The theatre was jam packed with a great atmosphere and wonderful vibes all around. The film outsold all of the other late-show slots and got great feedback from everyone I have spoken with following the show. The film was made by a whole crew of great people who appreciate the hard work that has to be put in to a film to make it great, and their passion truly shines in every aspect of 48 Hours in Purgatory.

A well written emotional roller coaster ride

[joshuardewaele · 9/10 · 26 March 2012]

OK firstly I have to admit I have seen very few independent films in my life. The Virgin Suicides being the only one I really remember and it had enough star power to make it feel a bit more than independent.

I had remembered writer/director Jason Armstrong talking about this film that he had been working on, so when a request was sent for people to view it and write a review I thought why not. I wasn't sure what to think going into it, was this going to be a gore fest? was this going to be boring? What I saw surprised me.

The story revolves around a group of independent film makers, an avant-garde director Brody, his second in command Arkham, his muse Ronnie, and Jagt who I honestly don't know what his role was; (he seemed like the frat boy type guy who was also the moral compass of all the characters.) The film opens with an introduction to some of Brody's work. It was shown on an old-school TV much like the ones we had growing up. The film then moves to a party celebrating the success of the team's last film. At this point I still wasn't sure what to think.

The team sat down(if I had any complaint about this film it was the camera movement in this scene as the camera circles the group for the entire conversation, really it jut made me a bit dizzy) Ronnie pitched a new film Idea based on a story she heard about a guy who had issues with alcohol, his marriage and himself was trapped in a collapsed barn and did a lot of self reflection. The film idea was then to place subjects in a room for 48 hours and film it, then paying them $10,000. The catch was the subjects needed to be weak enough or have enough demons to crack. This appealed to my psychology wired brain. But I didn't know how they would pull it off. The film took place over a number of days as each subject was alone in a room, and the film makers would ask questions of the subjects. As expected all of them cracked, but during this entire filming the film makers were challenged by their own past.

I don't want to give anything away here as a spoiler, I suggest people give this film a watch as it takes the viewer on a roller coaster of emotions as the dynamics of the characters are not the same from one person to another. Excellent cast, very well done, I hope this movie does well.

a gem of a psychological thriller!

[karena_liakos · 10/10 · 23 November 2013]

i found this indie film to be a very captivating, thought provoking psychological thriller. i love a good psychological thriller and this one doesn't disappoint. an experiment in human nature and facing your demons and the skeletons in your own closet which we all have and that makes this a very relatable film. most of us rarely face those skeletons so this film will really make you think about it after the fact. has a very claustrophobic feel to it too. there's something very creepy in facing the horrors within ourselves even more so than in others. the experiment is about getting people to admit to things they hate about themselves or things that they truly regret by putting them on a lock-down for 48hrs w/ virtually no stimulation other than a stranger periodically asking them questions about themselves. great performances all around especially the lead actor who plays Brody, Andrew Roth. this film proves that you can do a lot w/ very little as long as you have solid writing and solid performances. i think this film is also about redemption and whether the path you're on leads you to it or not. "it's never too late" or is it?