M will screen at Cinequest 2019 on March 14th, 15th and 16th
Javier Devitt’s new web series, M, follows a young man who is trying to reconnect with his missing father. As he and his girlfriend trek through the woods of Argentina with the aid of a shady guide, solving the disappearance turns out to be a bit more harrowing than anyone expected. A relatively even split between English and Spanish, M offers accessible bilingual entertainment.
Tim (Jon McCormick) and Diane (Alena Chinault) are like a normal couple that could be orbiting inside your social circle. They seem well-off, well-dressed, and well-prepared. Interestingly, M doesn’t want its viewers to hate these people. When things take a turn into the grim and gory in the middle of the Argentinian woods, it’s actually easy to root for them. While the on-screen chemistry between these two actors is nothing more than a spark, Chinault is a delight to watch. Scenes where she acts as the translator between Tim and their guide, Alejandro (Marcelo Melingo), are particularly strong because Melingo and Chinault play against each other so well.
Without a doubt, M is a slow burner. Throughout the series, there is a heavy reliance on misdirection and false scares. Sound is manipulated in such a way that the fabric of reality in M is unreliable and, at times, quite chilling. This kind of simmer is normally just fine for me, but I can’t help but wonder if this story’s fights would have had a little more punch in a short feature format. By all standards, though, M looks like the real-deal. And the best part of watching M is, well, just looking at it. Special effects, when they are deployed, also don’t clash with the careful thought that was clearly put into making a cogent visual experience. Under the direction of showrunner Javier Devitt, M showcases a wonderful sense of style. Through the combined efforts of art director Martina Malmann and director of photography Luciano Badaracco, along with the rest of the crew, every shot is densely packed and wonderfully textured.
It is hard to say where you will be able to catch M on a regular streaming platform—as it’s making the rounds at festivals right now—but I would say it’s worth a watch if you’re presented with the opportunity. Despite the fact that there’s nothing overwhelmingly surprising in M, its visual qualities and handling of complex themes (such as abandonment and parental alienation) are somewhat gripping. Whether or not M is for you, I think we can all agree that it will be interesting to see how the creative individuals who fleshed out such a stylish series will adapt their talents to other projects in the future.
M will screen at Cinequest 2019 on March 14th, 15th and 16th
