Gut follows lifelong pals and co-workers Tom (Jason Vail) and Dan (Nicholas Wilder) – who grew up together sharing a passion for horror films.
Tom is a devoted family man – he has a loving wife and a cute as a button daughter - Even with all of that stability he still finds himself bored, going through the motions, looking for something, anything, to snap him out of his funk
Dan, the bachelor that lives in his own small apartment alone, notices this in his pal, and suggests that Tom watch these new underground Horror films he found on a ransom website, hoping it would take them back to days of their youth when they used to spend hours together doing what they loved.
The films in question are snuff flicks featuring one simple shot of a stomach while a woman sobs her torso is cut open – gutting her– Tom and we in the audience--are left to wonder is the film real or is it fake?
We watch as Tom watches, we see him reinvigorated. His marriage and his sex life, his friendship with Dan.
But viewing this material film has an effect on him, yet we also see that it is at once haunting and disturbing Tom in his daily life.
Written, directed, and edited by Elias--Gut seeks to thrill the viewer at a slow simmer with most of the tension laying just below the surface ready to boil over at any second. The pace of the film--save for the opening minute and its frantic climax never really kicks into high gear. Scenes linger. Shots linger. Almost everything is understated--even when characters get upset or mad. Genre fans may be disappointed that Gut is 90 percent build-up and little thrill--Still the film does somehow mange to draw you in--making you want to see where it goes.
The relationship between Tom and Dan is odd in that, at no time, did I get why either of these men stayed friends with the other--since all they seemed to do throughout most of the film was annoy each other. The story does allow for an interesting subtext between the two men to be wondered about on Dan's part but it is never stated just hinted at by way of his reaction.
It seemed like with Gut Elias--who make no mistake is a talented filmmaker-wanted to break the mold of the genre. Try something a bit different. More Psychological mind gamey then actual thriller While I commend the effort--the end product was a bit of a disappointment---given the build up
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