Featured Review

Fantasia Festival 2024 – Carnage For Christmas ★★★

Published

1 month ago

Aug 5, 2024

Latoya Austin

Released: TBC

Director: Alice Maio Mackay

Starring: Jeremy Moineau, Olivia Deeble, Dominique Booth, Daniel Gabriel

Carnage for Christmas received its Quebecois premiere during the 28^th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival and is described as a no-budget trans story for the holidays. Its title is self explanatory and its release during the summer film festival season is bound to attract those fans of Christmas in July. The film will also appeal to fans of quirky Halloween horror slasher films shrouded within dark humour following crime podcaster Lola’s return to her Australian hometown.

Lola, played by a captivating Jeremy Moineau, is described by friends as a super sleuth similar to the teenage detective Nancy Drew. However, the film’s atmospheric introduction to audiences quickly unveils that this is not a PG version of crime investigation as blood splatter and body horror are given full focus from the outset, with inspiration from Black Christmas and other films with murderous Santa Claus’. The Doc Martens wearing Lola inevitably becomes embroiled within a murder mystery quickly with the film succumbing to predictability.

Lola is not a stranger to murder investigations and during a podcast episode reveals the reasons for her personal interest in true crimes. With a late night radio host’s sultry, dulcet tones the camera angles also focus on Lola with close ups as she narrates her background story. It is clear that Carnage for Christmas places that stress on storytelling and exposition. There are multiple scenes of characters dissecting events, with discussions around pizza and scenes solely operating to bring the audience and Lola up to date with the affairs of the provincial town, during Lola and her sister’s visit to the sole bar cum nightclub in town. As comical as these insights in to the town’s gossip may be, they merely serve as forced plot devices to fill in obvious gaps within the storyline but unfortunately the rushed nature of the film is still apparent.

On the other hand, there are some amusing moments within Carnage for Christmas. Moineau demonstrates magnetism as Lola with the charming ability to persuade others to assist her. This story, however, focuses on Lola’s trajectory and problem solving skills, with the serial killer merely being on the periphery as a distraction. Indeed, Lola’s story would have benefited from more substance and for greater runtime to be focused on developing her character further, as the film is frightfully short at just 70 minutes. In other hands, such subject matter with a prodigal child returning home would form the entire premise of a film. Such an unfocused approach therefore seems to result in lost momentum for this film, which adds to its flaws.

Yet, Carnage for Christmas is not simply a coming out story. Whilst Lola’s transitioning may have been the impetus for her escape from her small town, this is not the film’s central narrative. As such, the film presents a light but refreshing perspective concerning Lola’s re-assimilation to small town life where the police, through their prejudices, even assume that Lola is implicated in the crimes.

Carnage for Christmas is not for the faint hearted as the murder scenes prove extremely graphic but there is also ample opportunity to highlight the trans and drag communities, where Lola discovers she was not the only person to have undertaken transformations. However, Lola’s return to the town had unwittingly unearthed some hostility and envy but it is also heart-warming to learn that she is considered a minor celebrity – with many from the town listening to the true crime podcast.

The film has a fascinating premise but some of the jokes and action fall flat. Director Alice Maio Mackay has undertaken ambitious decisions for editing which, at times can be inconsistent and detract from the film but on occasion provide unexplained flash forwards and inspired choices. Still, Moineau is an exciting lead actor to watch and the film appears to be setting itself up for an investigative sequel, which would be a welcome franchise for queer cinema.