Rent Sator (2019)

Impressive, kinda creepy, but impossible to follow - Sator review by EG

Unfortunately, this DVD has no subtitles. An absolute disgrace in 2021 to be very honest. The dialogue is so hard to hear so I had to rewind a few times and it further confuses a narrative that's intentionally muddy. Nevertheless, the film looks amazing and it's incredible that the guy made (literally in every way) the whole thing himself. Unfortunately, it didn't really come together for me. If you like the vibe then Hagazussa is a lot better. But this is worth a watch too.

Labour of love. - Sator review by NP

Occasionally touching, breathtakingly filmed, occasionally disturbing but mainly a seemingly disconnected series of set-pieces, Sator emerges as a bit of a chore. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I would have liked more of an actual storyline, or at least some progression of events to match the undisputed wonderment of the production.

I appreciated the film a lot more when I read how virtually every aspect of its production and direction was handled by writer Jordan Graham. June Peterson (Nani) was Graham’s grandmother, and her musings on screen are the results of her obsession with Sator led her to being committed to a psychiatric hospital. She passed away shortly after the film was released.

Although my view of the resulting film has not changed, it was clearly a highly personal and commendable labour of love for the director. My score is 5 out of 10.