John and the Hole

It's both tantalising and deliberately unsatisfying. You're never given the comfort of knowing what comes next.

While the result may not be quite as deep as the cavern at the centre of the story, it has an enticing sliver of ice at its heart.

A sterile, supercilious, derivative exercise in sub-Euro-arthouse ordeal. But there is no ordeal because nothing is at stake.

In its way, it pokes at the very delicate membrane between horror and comedy...

It's exciting, quietly volatile stuff that digs refreshingly deep into the fears of the coming-of-age genre.

Shotwell's assured physical performance carries this film.

While not groundbreaking, it’s the sort of film that can be watched and appreciated for what it attempts to do while being frustrating at the same time.

John and the Hole is the flawed but wonderfully twisted story of a 13-year-old boy who finds an inventive way to distance himself from his family.

The phenomenal performances from everyone involved (and I genuinely mean everyone), the exquisite camera work, and the addictive score all add to the incredibly suspenseful atmosphere that kept me invested until the very last second. That ending, though…

Much will likely be made of the fact that John and the Hole never quite announces what it’s about, which means many will dismiss it as an empty exercise. The film has enough of a haunting aura that I believe there’s something to it.