Ink (2009)

Ink (2009) | 711 MB

“Ink” is a dark, modern-day fairy tale in which our nighttime world is inhabited by two factions of unseen, supernatural beings. On the side of good are the Storytellers, pretty twentysomethings who come to us as we sleep and give us happy (though clichéd) dreams. On the dark side are the Succubi, men with creepy faces that are only seen as black and white images through panes of glass permanently bolted to their chests. As you might imagine, the Succubi are the ones responsible for our nightmares.

Another mysterious creature exists apart from both groups: a hunchbacked, ragged character with an enormous nose who (for unknown reasons) is called Ink. In a bid to join the Succubi, Ink steals the soul of a little girl, holding her hostage in dreamland while her physical body remains comatose in the real world. The Storytellers stage a rescue attempt, which seems to hinge on breaking through to the other side and getting in touch
with the little girl’s estranged father.

But the actual story is really beside the point in a movie like this. To director-writer-editor Jamin Winans, having a plot seems almost like a necessary evil, a hurdle to cross to achieve the goal he’s really after: wowing you with cool images. Indeed, there are a number of visually stunning shots in this film, and Winans employs just about every effects trick in the book in his quest to impress you despite the low budget.
And interesting concepts certainly abound in “Ink”, including how the Storytellers and Succubi all exist outside of time, and can move into the past and future at will. And as the little girl’s father reflects upon his life, there are a lot of impressionistic choices in lighting and editing that make scenes play out like dreams. But we’re never allowed to wrap our heads around the whole thing, because director Winans has intentionally made a difficult and overcomplicated film, most likely in an attempt to emulate other cult movies that value style over substance, like “Donnie Darko”, “The Matrix”, and “Brazil”.

But while “Matrix” had its Neo, “Brazil” had its Sam Lowry, and “Donnie Darko” had its title character, “Ink” has nothing remotely approaching a strong protagonist. We don’t sympathize with the Storytellers, we don’t sympathize with the title character, and we don’t even begin to get into the head of the suffering father until well past the one-hour mark. With no one to identify with, there’s no sense of purpose to any of these events, and the movie just drags.

We never care if various characters achieve their goals, nor do we really know what those goals are. Why are the Storytellers compelled to bring us good dreams? Why do the Succubi feel the need to give us nightmares? Why does one Storyteller wear black electrical tape over his eyes and constantly count to himself? Why are these two groups of dream-makers at odds? And why is the kidnapping of a young girl such a huge event in Dreamland that it nearly touches off a war between the two groups? We never get a clue.
Winans tries hard to amaze with wire-fu and flash frames and a multitude of filters, but it mostly comes off as a transparent attempt to make cheap footage look more cinematic. And with a big fight scene in the first ten minutes, the movie promises a lot of action, but never delivers. In fact, there are really only two action scenes in the entire film. The second involves the Succubi removing those panes of glass to reveal glowing eyes, an image that would be a lot more notable if it wasn’t so reminiscent of the music video for “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. (And while we’re on the subject of ‘80s videos, the “black and white images seen through panes of glass” is something straight out of the “Take on Me” video. Perhaps the real problem here is that the director-writer spent too much time dreaming about music videos.)

“Ink” is ambitious, but a handful of good ideas and cool-looking shots can’t redeem a confusing, messy story and community theater-level acting. To aspiring filmmakers, I’m sure the temptation is great to create a big mind-screw movie like other memorable cult films, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with telling a simple, straightforward, linear story. As “Ink” proves, that’s a skill that really should be mastered before a filmmaker attempts more challenging fare.

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