3:15 AM / CERT: 18 / DIRECTORS: FABIEN DELAGE, NICOLAS DELAGE, DIVINE, FRÉDÉRIC GROS, SABRINA KERRAR, EVELYNE PHAN, DAVID TILLAULT / SCREENPLAY: FABIEN DELANGE, DEUF, EVELYNE PHAN, SABOU / STARRING: LOLA DUBUS, EVA CHOW, MARIE CHRISTINE PHAN / NICOLAS DELAGE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW UK VOD, US DVD
Oh great, another found footage film. One of the first elements that makes 3:15 am stand out, however, is it hails from France. It’s an anthology that manages to utilise the format well and is always engaging.
There are six stories told here, with one (Red Wood) forming an envelope for each of the sections, revealing more of its tale as the film goes along. It’s a standard lost-in-the-woods trope with a woman going more astray and coming across something incredibly strange – namely a naked lady with a goat’s head.
Like many portmanteau movies, some vignettes work better than others. The strongest here is arguably Ladies of the Night, in which a group of students try to complete a thesis on prostitution and get more than they bargained for when attempting to interview some of the street workers. If that’s the most satisfying, the final story, The Grove, is the most effective when it comes to chills. A couple go hiking in the wilds in the hope of finding Bigfoot but face a much more frightening situation.
As found footage-type films go, this is among the best. Using the anthology format means that we’ve no chance of getting bored. As we’ve come to expect with the style, the shaky camera becomes a tad monotonous to the point of annoying, and the filmmakers have strayed from the dogma by including some music to heighten the tension. Sticklers for realism will no doubt find this hard to swallow, but let’s face it, we all know the score by now, so there’s no harm in adding a little cinematic polish to the format. Being in French, you could say the conceit is blown by the presence of subtitles, and the marketing of 3:15 am has made a big deal of this being the first French found footage film. However, other than the frequent nudity, there’s little to differentiate the stories or settings from others of the ilk.
The final segment, The Grove, has some genuine moments of tension even though we never get a Bigfoot encounter, and it certainly makes effective use of the single-camera setup. The first story, The Woman in the Attic, contains one of the most awkward moments of exposition we’ve ever seen, but does manage to keep the interest and provide a few jolts.
Certainly one to check out if you’re into the subgenre, although fans of cryptozoology might feel a little short changed.
