It feels like a candy after I have done something good when I discover a found-footage movie with a new angle, and darn it, wouldn’t ya know it, that’s the case with “Man Finds Tape.” It feels novel, and shouldn’t, but here we are. The subgenre is cluttered with lazy movies made by people with one idea and little effort. Finding a film that at least offers a new angle is refreshing and gives me something to look forward to.
“Man Finds Tape” tells two stories: the story of a sister making a documentary about her brother’s journey after becoming ‘internet famous,’ and the story of this brother and a mysterious tape he discovered. The tape in question was found on the man’s parents’ property and bore his name. In the footage, he discovers a scene from his childhood: a mysterious person entering his room and filming him while he slept. He wonders who the person was and what they wanted. As he digs into this mystery, he discovers that something horrifying is happening in his small town, something connected to the local religious leader and his work, and perhaps to something much darker.
The film is presented as a movie within a movie, and works well. The outer, documentary style is very clean and feels like a standard doc. It is mixed with footage shot by the brother as he investigates what’s happening to him and the town. There is a difference in the look of the film that distinguishes the two filmmakers, as well as in tone and voice. The film is slow to get going, but as we learn what’s happening, in the last act, it all becomes clear, and everything ramps up. The film can get long in the tooth at times, but it maintains things well enough to keep viewers engaged and interested through to the end.
Acting is good, filming is well done, and the stylistic differences add a fun wrinkle. The wrap-up gets a little convoluted as they throw a lot at you in trying to wrap things up, and it feels a little like some threads are left hanging, but it wasn’t terribly frustrating.CGI is used at times, and it generally blends well, though, again, at the end it gets a little dodgy.
Overall, this is a fun movie, with a creepy premise, and some icky ideas behind it all. The notion of lost time, forgotten moments, and discovered history is always fascinating, and here is no different. While there are some slight explanations to many of the things we’re seeing, it’s all interesting, and a creepy little movie that’s well worth a look.
TL;DR: An interesting take on found-footage with a creepy tale of religion and ancient evil.
3.75 out of 5
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36591419
