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Geek Vibes Nation
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'When You Get To The Forest' Blu-Ray Review - A Gentle, Fantastical Journey To Being Okay
Overwhelmed, Dana takes to the road. Seeking solace she visits a hiking trail from her youth. A few wrong turns and a nasty fall later, she awakens alone in a strange forest, save for one new companion — a talking cat. For thoughts on When You Get to the Forest, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality When You Get to the Forest arrives on Blu-Ray with a beautiful 1080p presentation that captures the film with great care. The charming, handmade animation aesthetic has the smoothness and creativity that practically matches a major animation studio. The screen is free of any digital inconsistency with a rich array of textures within the artwork. The edges are crisp and fully seamless within the defined space. The colors are vivid with stunning primaries saturating the screen. There are no egregious digital anomalies present such as compression artifacts or ugly banding. All of the material within the film looks very impressive for a production of this scope. Cartuna is such a blessing for independent animation. Audio Quality This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up every bit as well as the video side of things. The dialogue sounds excellent with a clear presence throughout the adventure and no moments of being clipped by competing elements. The subtle environmental sounds within the forest help make the space feel more fleshed out and alive. There is not much activity in the low end, but the presence of the mysterious creature stomping through the forest adds a bit of texture. The score for this is very pleasant and emerges with an undeniable fidelity. This audio experience does not come up short in any respect. Optional English SDH subtitles are included. Special Features Audio Commentary: Director Eric Power and writer Andreas Petersen provide a commentary track that provides some great insights into the production of the film and the narrative at large. A Year In The Forest – Making Of Documentary: A four-minute piece that gives a brief overview of the story and the production process, such as character development, problem solving, and more. Production Diaries: A 12-minute video in which Eric Power goes a bit deeper into how the film was animated on a practical level. Original Trailer (1:12) Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay 'Trailmap' by director Eric Power in which he writes in-depth about the production of the film. Final Thoughts When You Get to the Forest is a gentle, contemplative journey that is a touch fantastical as one woman works to find herself and move past the pain she has carried for too long. The movie is not free of drama, but the tranquil confines of the titular forest bring about a sense of peace inside the viewer, right alongside the characters we are following. The animation is very endearing with a keenly crafted quality that makes it feel so much more tactile and effective. This movie feels like a therapeutic retreat for your soul. Cartuna has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fetching A/V presentation and an impressive assortment of special features. Animation fans should not pass this up. Recommended When You Get to the Forest is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome or select indie retailers. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Cartuna and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Grace Glowicki's ‘Dead Lover' Acquired by Cartuna and Dweck Productions Out of SXSW
'It's alive!' — as the mad scientists would say. Grace Glowicki's grotesque, 16mm-shot romance 'Dead Lover' has been acquired for North American distribution by Cartuna and Dweck Productions, operating under a new venture Cartuna x Dweck. The deal comes after the film's selection at SXSW, following a premiere at Sundance in January. 'We firmly believe that we are at the early stages of a historic creative movement,' says James Belfer, founder and CEO of Cartuna. 'Inventive, boundary-pushing storytellers need more distribution support now than ever. This collective of producers has opted to take matters into our own hands and it's our sincere hope that it will inspire others to do the same.' More from Variety 'Dead Lover': How Director Grace Glowicki Pulled Off the Grotesque Indie Romance With Dollar Store Lights, Kiddie Pools and a Single Zoom Lens 'Dead Lover' Review: Macabre Attempt to Keep a Lost Romance Alive Is Both Entertaining and Inventive Joshua Burge, Dweck Productions Join Joel Potrykus' Dark Comedy 'Vulcanizadora' (EXCLUSIVE) 'What Grace and her collaborators have dug up from their creative depths is like nothing I've ever seen before and we are so honored to be a part of this infinitely imaginative team,' said Hannah Dweck, owner and co-founder of Dweck Productions. 'We can't wait to set this exuberantly unrestrained, disgusting, beautiful, smelly, exhumed corpse of a rom-com loose on the world!' The acquisition is the latest development in Cartuna's film distribution venture, which put out the Blu-ray release of the word-of-mouth slapstick comedy 'Hundreds of Beavers' last year and has sold more than 10,000 copies since. 'Dead Lover' is the first all-right acquisitions for the company, and the inaugural under its newly formed partnership with Dweck Productions. Kurt Ravenwood, a partner of SRH agency and producer on 'Hundreds of Beavers,' will provide marketing strategy on 'Dead Lover.' Grace Glowicki wrote, directed and stars in 'Dead Lover,' a prosthetics-centric horror-comedy about a stinky, lonesome gravedigger who reanimates her squeeze using his detached finger. Ben Petrie is a co-writer and co-star. The film made its premiere in the Midnight section at Sundance, with later selections at SXSW, International Film Festival Rotterdam and Göteborg Film Festival. Forthcoming screenings are set for the Overlook Film Festival and the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. 'We feel touched by kismet to be working with Cartuna X Dweck!' Glowicki said in a statement. 'Individually, both companies are stalwart champions of independent voices in cinema, and we're in love with their vision for a united superfront putting out movies with a fresh, individualized approach. Ben, Yona and I are thrilled to be putting our brains together with them on rolling out Dead Lover!' The deal was negotiated by Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick of Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers and James Belfer on behalf of Cartuna x Dweck. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
