Creating high tension from a minimal story can be seen as a directorial achievement. Just like in the 2019 Dutch film Bumperkleef, the story is simple, but with its ever-increasing pace, you can feel the tension building and you feel the story making you tense as you watch it.
As is often the case, if I proceed from the story and the way the story is handled, it is almost certain that I will not say good things about the movie, but I will speak positively thanks to the elements included in the movie!
Is this a contradiction? When I ask myself this question, I can answer no without thinking because the story of the movie is so full of gaps and there are scenes at the level of absurdity, yet it manages to keep you watching it with rapt attention.
In general, I can say that the movie is a road story. A family road trip gets out of control after some events on the road and leads to the planned home. From the moment the story starts on the road to the moment the story ends at home, the movie is breathtaking and tension-overloading at every moment. This can be considered as an opportunity for those who love thrillers.
As the movie starts with a simple concept of a road thriller and turns into a psychological thriller, after skillfully blending fear; the pleasure of watching it becomes perfect, which I found the most successful part of the movie. I say the success part independently of the actors' performances because thanks to the tension created; the gaps in the story, actor performances, location etc. details lose their importance.
If not for the inadequacies in the story and its execution, the movie could have been much better than it is. The inadequacies of the precautions that can be taken against the threat on the road are understandable, but when the threat reaches the city, the crowded places of the city and the police station, the inadequacies of the story become more noticeable. Fortunately, the thriller and horror aspects of the movie are not too disturbing.
Although Bumperkleef is presented as a simple road story, it is much more than that. It is not possible to understand this from the story, but once you start watching the movie, you realize it. I have to say again that I think this movie is a candidate to be one of the most prominent productions of its genre, not because of the story and the way it is handled, but because of the atmosphere created.
I can say that it is one of the productions that especially those who love psychological thrillers should not miss. If you ignore the inadequacies in the story, I can recommend it to everyone. It doesn't rise above mediocre in terms of story and processing, but it was quite successful with the atmosphere of tension created and the addition of the horror element in place.
Thank you for being here and reading. I hope I have helped you to get a good idea about the movie. Take care and goodbye!