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Stars: Adam Jones, Alexandrea Meyer | Written and Directed by Truman Kewley

Some films are destined to be controversial, and I have a strong feeling that writer/director Truman Kewley’s debut feature Beautiful Friend is one of them. It’s something of a modern version of The Collector, the 1965 film, not the 2009 Saw knockoff. That film is about an unstable man played by the late Terrance Stamp who kidnaps a young woman he thinks will fall in love with him. Kewley has updated the premise to reflect the rise of incel culture.

Daniel has a problem with women, they want nothing to do with him. But that can’t be his fault, his shitty attitude toward them can’t be the problem. We know this because we get to hear his thoughts at great length as he stalks women, modifies his van and waves a gun around in the desert.

Imagine adding a beautiful woman on social media, then saying ‘hi’ to her, only to not get any response. You send another ‘hi’; it is seen, but still nothing. Now you are pissed, wondering why she would even add you if she doesn’t want to communicate. In case you’ve ever experienced this, then you might be an incel. Beautiful Friend, an eighty-minute-long film by director Truman Kewley, is an exploration into the incel’s mind and the whole subculture. It is unapologetic, not at all subtle, and the approach is very brash. Unsurprisingly, it is an extremely difficult watch, and even though it’s a very cliche saying, faint-hearted people should probably avoid watching.

Not that they are going to meet anything substantial. Because no matter how good the intention or how relevant the topic is, as a film it feels quite extra. Calling it unnecessary would probably be a bit too harsh,...

The upcoming horror film Beautiful Friend is already making waves, with over seven million TikTok users weighing in on its controversial and chilling themes. Slated for an exclusive release on Amazon on October 31, the film is being hailed as one of the most disturbing cinematic experiences of the year. Directed by Truman Kewley, Beautiful Friend takes a raw, unflinching look at the terrifying world of incel culture and toxic masculinity, offering a provocative exploration of violence, obsession, and misplaced rage.

Critics have praised the film for its fearless portrayal of a violent kidnapper. Alexandrea Meyer won best actress for her powerful performance as the object of a dangerous obsession, while Adam Jones plays Daniel, an incel whose anger and frustration spiral into a violent kidnapping. The film has already gained notoriety for its uncomfortable realism and has been described by The Film Verdict as “a timely depiction of toxic masculinity and beta-male misogyny…...

“A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction,” Stanley Kubrick once said. “It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.”

The Oldenburg Film Festival and Brussels-based Cold Wave/Electro-Rock musical duo Pornographie Exclusive have taken this to heart. On Friday evening, they will put on a special show in the form of the world premiere of an anthology film called One-Way Ticket to the Other Side, accompanied by a live gig by Pornographie Exclusive (Pe), at Oldenburg’s State Theater.

The organizers promise to take audiences on a “road trip through the labyrinths of the human psyche.”

Pe consists of actress and dubbing specialist Séverine Cayron (The Belgian Wave) and writer, director and cinematographer Jérôme Vandewattyne (Spit’n’Split, The Belgian Wave) who was honored with last year’s Audacity Award in Oldenburg,...

In the Blind Spot, Ayşe Polat’s documentary-style conspiracy thriller set in modern-day Turkey has won the German Independence Award for best film at the 30th Oldenburg International Film Festival.

The drama, which premiered in the Encounters section of the Berlin Film Festival this year, follows a German film team shooting a documentary in a remote Kurdish village who begin to witness mysterious happenings and become entwined in a sinister conspiracy.

Oldenburg’s best actor honors went to Jon Jacobs for playing Cassian Elwes in the biographical drama Passenger C, Elwes’ directorial debut. Alexandrea Meyer won best actress for Truman Kewley’s horror thriller Beautiful Friend, in which she plays the object of obsession for a violent incel, played by Adam Jones.

Jon Jacobs in ‘Passenger C’ Alexandrea Meyer in ‘Beautiful Friend’

Oldenburg’s audacity award, given to a film that pushes the boundaries of modern cinema, went to Jérôme Vandewattyne’s The Belgian Wave,...