‘Winemaker’ Review (FoundTV)
Stars: Barrie Herold, Emil Strom, Connor Johnston, Oscar Gidefjord, Emanuel Ronge | Written and Directed by Emil Strom
My latest review from Found.tv is Winemaker. This found footage movie shows a filmmaker documenting a winemaker whom he believes is the perfect subject to film because of his unconventional ways of crafting the perfect blend.
For me, that seemed like an original and cool idea to base your found footage horror movie on, and that’s all the movie needed to get me to watch. And I’m absolutely glad I did.
There are two main characters in Winemaker, Jack (played by Barrie Herold) and Hans (played by the writer/director Emil Strom), and they are brilliantly played by those actors. Directors putting themselves in lead roles doesn’t always work, but Strom is surprisingly likeable. His character is, of course, supposed to be that but so often ‘youtubers’ or ‘influencers’ come across as anything but. They can easily become annoying because so many of the real-life versions are, but Hans isn’t really like that at all.
Maybe it’s the subject matter, maybe he’s just not quite as in-your-face or arrogant, but I found him much more likeable than usual. Jack, on the other hand, is a little odd. Herold is also very good in the role and his look and size give him a sort of menacing vibe when it is needed. He can be fun and jokey, but a little bit scary sometimes in the same scene. And this works well. But characters aren’t straightforward, and this makes them much more interesting. Thankfully, the two actors have good chemistry, and as the two are on screen for a good chunk of the movie, this was very much needed.
The footage shows clips of the two getting to know each other, with Hans hoping that Jack’s strange methods and personality will help him get the views he wants. Despite the two enjoying each other’s company for the most part, there’s always this edge to their interactions. Jack can occasionally turn the atmosphere sour or do something unusual that can seem a bit creepy. That’s where the horror and tension slowly come in.
Winemaker doesn’t go where you expect it to though and I was really glad of that. I’m not going to give away anything else but while watching you will probably expect it to go in a certain direction, and if it had, it could have had a satisfactory, if somewhat predictable outcome. So I was much happier that Strom decided to go in a different direction.
Like many found footage movies, the run time is shorter than more mainstream films. Winemaker comes in just short of sixty minutes, but unlike many other similar films, I would have liked it to have gone on a little longer. I thought the story could have been stretched a little further and I would have happily watched Jack and Hans chat and drink together some more. But I guess that is a good complaint to have.
There’s plenty to enjoy from Emil Strom’s directorial debut, and he’ll be a filmmaker I’ll be keeping an eye on because Winemaker shows how much he can do and the original ideas he has, even on a tiny budget.
*** 3/5
Winemaker is available to stream now on Found.
