Jamin Winans is a director with only a select few films under his belt. I can’t say I’ve heard of any of them until looking at his site where I saw stuff like 11:59, Flip and his in-production movie called Frame. But one stuck out to me as a strong example of a fantasy film that could have significant meaning throughout the context: Ink. Ink came out in 2009 that follows the struggle between two forces that act while we are asleep. There are the Storytellers who grant us dreams and the supernatural beings known as the Incubus which deliver nightmares to our minds. One night, a mysterious being appears who is considered a Drifter which is a lost being that is neither Storyteller nor Incubus who kidnaps a young girl named Emma to be a sacrifice for initiation into the Incubus forces. During this time, her father John is a successful businessman who has made his way up to the top but has neglected his family and is in the middle of a big deal when his stepfather tells him the sad news. He has to make a choice to damage his company’s reputation or to see the daughter who was taken away from him for being unfit to care for her after his wife’s death.
The film stars Christoper Soren Kelly as John and Quinn Hunchar as Emma. None of the actors are popular and the film seemed strong for such a large cast on a low budget. The special effects were decent overall but there was room for improvement. The way the Storytellers appeared at night seemed simple and mediocre. But that isn’t supposed to take away from the successes of the other effect. The Incubus members look well done and constructed marvelously. The plot was simple yet explored in depth. The quest to stop Ink before he sacrifices the child while at the same time trying to get the father to see his daughter while in a comatose state. Both of these correspond throughout the story and delves deeper into the subconscious idea of neglectful parenting and how our dreams/nightmares are able to define things we may not recognize due to pride or shame.
The biggest weaknesses that stood out to me was some character development. They did a good job on John and Emma, but most of the characters and groups are not detailed thoroughly. How did the Storytellers/Incubus come into being? When did it become apparent that people needed to have dreams? What do nightmares supply for the Incubus? They do let us know that they were all once living who have moved onto a new level of living, but some of the more prominent Storytellers have unknown backgrounds. Also, why does the Pathfinder where tape on his eyes? I understand he’s blind and it kind of added to the interesting character design, but was there some significance to it? How did the doors appear to the domain of the Incubus? So many unanswered questions, even more but those would be spoilers.
Besides these unanswered questions, I think this movie was done very well and is heavily underrated. Character design and plot progression grabbed my attention and I was at the edge of my seat during certain scenes. So what would I rate this? IMDB gave it a 6.7 and RottenTomatoes gave it a 100%, I’d give it an 8.5/10. The film was strong for the most part but a couple small mistakes do catch the eyes of avid film watchers. I would recommend watching this movie if you like movies such as Pan’s Labrynth and The Tree of Life since it is a fantasy with interesting scenery and imagery that are moving and captivating.
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Another issue with the film was how it ended, right when Emma wakes up and John is reunited with his daughter, the film ends with the Storytellers and the Pathfinder standing nearby glad to see everything back to normal.
MORE QUESTIONS UNANSWERED: What happened to the Incubus when they were defeated? They didn’t seem like they were killed but just beaten in a fist fight. Did Liev die when she was stabbed by the Incubus? If so, what happens when a Storyteller dies?
I do think it was effective how Ink was actually the deceased family life of John, how all that existed inside of him was his work where the love he had for his child and wife had died. The Incubus keeping watch and making sure he kept feeling this way was also an interesting touch.
Critical Films 