Cade Altier (Neil Breen) funds the renovation of a dilapidated asylum and quickly discovers the building is a front for a government-funded human trafficking/gene harvesting operation. Cade hopes to put an end to the corruption by training the patients to become mystical warriors to overthrow their captors, but his twin brother, Cale, has other ideas…
Most of director Neil Breen’s hallmarks are present and correct. Nonsensical dialogue, strange things happening for no reason at all, footage being re-used multiple times, and shots lingering so long that they start to feel uncomfortable. However, the actors here all add their very own sparkle, too. Many pause mid-sentence as if they’re waiting for someone off-screen to change cue cards, lines are delivered in completely inappropriate tones, and others seem to be unaware of how conversations work. On the technical side of things, a complete reliance on green screen (or ‘Breen screen’) leads to a whole catalogue of unique visuals – a man drives a car while the scenery doesn’t move, still backgrounds don’t change between wide shots and close-ups, and awkwardly-composed shots often find the participants dwarfed by inanimate objects and, sometimes, each other.
Quirky eccentricities are par for the course with Neil Breen’s films, and those who have followed his output over the years will be right at home. As incomprehensible as ever, The Tortured Crossing is a four-star Breen film but would struggle to hit two by any other metric. Having said that, there’s more than enough passion, heart and authenticity to make it well worth seeking out if you’re a fan of outsider cinema.
CADE: THE TORTURED CROSSING is currently only available to buy on DVD from https://cade-crossing.com/
