Have you ever looked back at certain experiences in your life and realized many mistakes were made? Why? Because you lost sight. As humans so often we tend to allow our own purpose to take over the needs of the ones that we love. Unfortunately for our main character in the excruciating tension filled FOR ROGER he finds out that being a little bit more attentive to his lovers needs could’ve saved more than just their relationship.
In Aaron Bartuska FOR ROGER we find a young man dealing with grief after the death of his former lover. He returns back to their vacation cabin looking to collect memories and experiences that he can take on with him. What seems to be a walk down memory lane starts to become and unraveling of stories and dread that played more to what was going on outside of the relationship. What sticks out from the start is the desolation, the sadness, the utter despair that he’s dealing with as he’s watching all the mistakes he’s made right before his eyes on an old beta tape. What comes to surface is more terrifying than either he or Clara could’ve ever imagined when you find out what’s going on behind the scenes. We had a chance to speak with the star Michael Andrusiewicz who plays Roger. One of the things that he mentioned right off the bat in the interview is how Roger seems to play more than just one role in this film. To the point where there’s almost 3 to 4 different Rogers as your experience all the turmoil he goes through. All the times he’s looking for forgiveness and then what happens as the film gets to it’s devastating conclusion and you watch him break down.
Atmospheric to it's core, FOR ROGER feels more like a Gothic entry. With it’s constant despair watching the home movies. Viewers will find themselves as if they are there next to him watching the tapes. FOR ROGER is really a mirror image of the human experience on how we tend to allow ourselves to be so engulfed buy our own desires and pleasures. So engulfed that we are blind to the evil and the necessities of life that may be surrounding us the entire time. Moviegoers will definitely be able to relate to every single character in the film possibly including "the watcher" because what FOR ROGER really is at the end of the day it’s a human interest film that just becomes super terrifying when you find out what’s going on. Films like WHISPER and CREEP will definitely be the ones that will pop in your head upon seeing FOR ROGER. It has that kinda lonely cabin in the woods mixed in with some terrifying voyeurism.
FOR ROGER might not have all the aesthetics as some of the other films that you’ll see at this year’s GRIMMFEST but it will definitely be one of the lasting features attendees will talk about. FOR ROGER taps into the human experience.
3/5
FOR ROGER is directed by Aaron Bartuska written by Bartuska, Gwyn Cutler and Derek Pinchot.
Stars Michael Andrusiewicz, Jenna Gibilisco Nicholas Paparo.