Written by Alexander Reams
68/100
Writer/Director Abed Abest is still a relatively new face in the industry but has a career that has lasted nearly a decade. In the opening minutes, his vision is clear, he is clearly drawn to films about crime, and returning to themes from his feature debut “Fish & Cat” from 2013, serial killers. In his latest film, “Killing the Eunuch Khan”, Abest is focusing on a serial killer who uses his victims to kill more victims, thus doubling the body count. This premise shows a lot of promise and Abest delivers. Crafting a film that left me comprehending what happened long after the credits rolled. Ebrahim Azizi’s physicality and mental brutality are enthralling to watch. Combined with the crazy cinematography (that had enough dutch angles to rival a Joel Schumacher “Batman” picture) of Hamid Khozouie Abyane and you have a film that has imagery so fascinating it sears itself into your brain.
Abest isn’t afraid to throw scenes at the wall and make them stick either. Gunshots will echo and instead of seeing who or what was shot he cuts to a setting that seemingly has nothing to do with the deafening sound we’d just heard. He deals with death in an unorthodox way. In one moment he mimics “The Shining” with blood seeping through the frame and surrounding a body that we can only assume to be dead. In another he displays an overhead shot of the killer disposing of a body by burial and filling it with mud and concrete, all the while a giant pit is looming next to where they are burning the body. This shows the amount of care and brutality the killer has. They don’t want their evidence found.
Killing the Eunuch Khan Trailer
You can connect with Alexander on his social media profiles: Instagram, Letterboxd, and Twitter. Or see more of his work on his website.
