31 Years, 31 Screams: Unrest Posted by J.D. Dunn on 10.03.2007
The cost of medical school may be your life.
Unrest (2006) Director:Jason Todd Ipson Writer:Jason Todd Ipson and Chris Billett. Starring:Corri English, Scott Davis, Josh Alba, Jay Jablonski and Marisa Petroro. MPAA: [R] Runtime: 88m.
"What you learn here, not just about the human body, but about yourselves, will probably be your most valuable lesson over the next four years," the creepy professor (Derrick O'Connor) intones at the beginning of Unrest. Three minutes later, we're treated to cute little Allison Blanchard (Corri English, who could pass for Britney Spears' little sister) falling facedown in her own vomit after seeing a cadaver. Not exactly the best way to start medical school.
Unrest is a film built on the blocks of earlier hospital horrors like Coma, Nightwatch and even Visiting Hours. Director Jason Todd Ipson imbues the film with claustrophobia and the general sense of ickyness you get from hanging around in a dimly lit hallway with dead bodies all around you. The film succeeds, though, on the back of an intelligent script from Upson and co-writer Chris Billett as well as a strong performance from lead actress Corri English.
Allison and her friends are first-year med students. Of course, each is split off into their own little personality categories. Allison is tomboyish, intelligent and skeptical. Rick (Jay Jablonski) is cocky and brash, but he knows his stuff. Carlos (Joshua Alba, it's her brother, in answer to your next question) is the superstitious one. "A soul doesn't rest until the body has a proper burial," he tells the group. And, of course, since all these cadavers are donated to science, they're not going to get a proper burial any time soon. Then, there's Brian (Scot Davis), in the bland boyfriend role, one of the few low points of the script. I guess he missed the point during orientation when they handed out personalities.
Allison runs into problems right away as she starts to investigate the backstory to the groups study cadaver. We see the woman alive during the cold open, staring into a mirror and mutilating herself. Allison notes during a cursory examination of the body that the wounds were self-inflicted (the facial wounds running vertically, the wrist wounds running horizontally).
Not only that, but the body does some creepy things – some natural, like farting the excess hydrogen out when she's cut open; some not so natural, like getting a warm liver long after she's dead. When Rick makes the mistake of taking his fiancé in to see the cadaver, a clear desecration of the spirit according to Carlos, his fiancé winds up bleeding to death in the hallway moments later.
Allison starts to investigate the origin of the corpse, but the conservative and bureaucratic nature of the hospital makes it difficult. Besides, according to Allison's superiors, the origin of the body is none of her business. When two more bodies turn up, Allison is convinced that the dead woman's spirit is sending her messages.
A combination of detective work and luck leads the group to identify the cadaver as Alita Corvas, a doctor-turned-prostitute-turned-psychotic. Allison learns that Corvas underwent a bizarre change in personality, transforming her from a normal, concerned doctor to a sex fiend who lured men to their deaths. It seems Corvas was part of an expedition that unearthed a number of Aztec graves. A year later, she was dead, and now Allison is following the same pattern.
Ghost stories generally work best when they are combinations of bizarre occurrences and detective stories. Unrest is no exception. What makes the film work more often than not is the minimal amount of fat on Billett's script. In fact, the story could have used a little more exposition and characterization rather than just jumping into the pool with both feet. That's only a minor criticism, though.
To his credit, Ipson knows his audience and knows they won't be content with what amounts to an extended episode of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, so he imbues the film with large amounts of grue and disgusting scenarios. The climactic (and claustrophobic) task of retrieving Corvas' body really has to be experienced to be appreciated.
The cast does about as well as it can with the material. English comes off as a likeable heroine who isn't smarter than her station in life. Remember, these are first-year med students. Imagine if the characters from Scrubs were cast in a horror movie. So, while some might find the lovey-dovey talk between the leads irritating, it's certainly an accurate depiction of early 20's love.
The 411: Jason Todd Ipson's Unrest operates on a level of ideas and atmosphere over content, and it works thanks to a good lead performance by the affable Corri English. I can't put it on a level with masterpieces like Coma or even Autopsy, but it's a cut above the standard Hollywood fare. B+
