Machination
{{Infobox film
| name = Machination
| image = Machination poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Promotional release poster
| writer = Sarah Jayne
Ivan Malekin
| starring = {{plainlist|
- Steffi Thake
- Sean James Sutton
}}
| music = Gerard Mack
| cinematography = Ivan Malekin
| editing = Ivan Malekin
| studio = Nexus Production Group
| director = Sarah Jayne
Ivan Malekin
| producer = Sarah Jayne
Ivan Malekin
| distributor = Nexus production Group
| released = {{Film date|2022|05|20|df=yes}}
| runtime = 62 minutes
| country = Malta
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Machination is a 2022 Maltese horror thriller film written, produced and directed by Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin. Starring Steffi Thake.
Plot
News of an out of control pandemic has gripped the world and mass panic is pushing humanity into an uncertain future. Maria (Steffi Thake), a sensitive and anxious woman, struggles to cope in self-isolation. With fear mounting and the demands of the world closing in, Maria is forced to confront her past and the monsters that surround her … both without and within.
Cast
- Steffi Thake as Maria
- Rambert Attard as Yorgen
- Sean James Sutton as Ian
- Andrew Bonello as Peter
- Mikhail Basmadjian as Father
Release
The film was released to digital on 20 May 2022.{{cite web |url= https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3715371/8-new-horror-movies-releasing-this-week-including-the-latest-from-a24/|title= 8 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including the Latest from A24|last= Squires|first= John|date= 17 May 2022|website= Bloody Disgusting|publisher= |access-date= 24 December 2022|quote=}}
Reception
Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote that while the film is "not an easy movie to watch", it is "admirably unflinching in the way it observes Maria’s tics and phobias, showing how even something as seemingly benign and beneficial as hand-washing can become emblematic of a deeper self-loathing."{{cite web |url= https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-05-20/review-hold-your-fire-and-other-movies-to-watch|title= Review: ‘Hold Your Fire,’ ‘Licorice Pizza’ and other movies to watch this weekend|last= Murray|first= Noel|date= 20 May 2022|website= Los Angeles Times|publisher= |access-date= 3 December 2022|quote=}}=
Daniel Tihn of the Times of Malta rated the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote that "after a litany of directionless technical issues", it "ends up being more hollow than haunted."{{cite web |url= https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/machination-reviewed-film-that-s-bound-blunders.963722|title= ‘Machination’ reviewed: a film that’s bound with blunders|last= Tihn|first= Daniel|date= 26 June 2022|website= Times of Malta|publisher= |access-date= 3 December 2022|quote=}}
JP Nunez of the Horror Obsessive called the main character "boring", the plot "mostly meandering and directionless" and the imagery "very random and haphazard".{{cite web |url= https://horrorobsessive.com/2022/05/07/machination-is-a-disappointing-pandemic-thriller/|title= Machination Is a Disappointing Pandemic Thriller|last= Nunez|first= JP|date= |website= Horror Obsessive|publisher= |access-date= 3 December 2022|quote=}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|12919778|Machination}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|machination|Machination}}
- Los Angeles Times - [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-05-20/review-hold-your-fire-and-other-movies-to-watch]
- Movie-Blogger - [https://www.movie-blogger.com/machination-2022-film-review/]
- Search My Trash - [http://www.searchmytrash.com/movies/machination(2022).shtml]
- Communist Vampires - [http://communistvampires.com/horror/Machination.htm]
- Wham Malta - [https://wham.com.mt/machination-film-in-the-light-of-the-pandemic-machinations-of-the-mind/]
- Bloody Disgusting - [https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3715371/8-new-horror-movies-releasing-this-week-including-the-latest-from-a24/]
- Horror Obsessive - [https://horrorobsessive.com/2022/05/07/machination-is-a-disappointing-pandemic-thriller/]
- Times of Malta - [https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/machination-reviewed-film-that-s-bound-blunders.963722]
Category:Maltese thriller films
Category:2020s English-language films