Slashers tend to be an American delicacy, but when other regions try out the recipe, they often add local ingredients to make their variation stand out. And for Lithuania’s first slasher, We Might Hurt Each Other (also known as Pensive or Rūpintojėlis), the inevitable massacre begins in true fashion before evolving into something more unique.
Jonas Trukanas‘ feature debut, co-written by Titas Laucius, has a good grasp on the tried and true slasher formula that fans love and others love to hate. After the young characters attend their graduation, they have to find a new venue for the unofficial afterparty. The story’s ostensible main character, Marius (Šarūnas Rapolas Meliešius), then volunteers one of his mother’s properties: a remote cabin out in the countryside that she’s been unable to sell.
As shown earlier, Marius isn’t the most popular guy in his small class. Everyone overlooks him — including his own parents — and unlike other graduates who have exciting futures in store, Marius can only look forward to risk-free jobs like actuarial work. Which is ironic considering how much danger Marius puts his classmates and himself in all because he wants to be noticed.
We Might Hurt Each Other builds up to rather than teases its foreseeable bloodbath. After some typical party antics and debauchery, the threat finally shows itself. The placid hinterlands cinematography, one befitting of any given Euro police drama these days, recedes as stylish darkness swallows the cast and setting. The anticipated assailant makes an explosive entrance as he butchers the characters like a predator seeking out easy prey. Excitement-wise, nothing from here on out quite lives up to the antagonist’s initial slaughter; the kinetic carnage is impeccably done. From the dynamic camera perspectives to the unflinching and blunt deaths, the bombshell violence is a treat for anyone more accustomed to the one-by-one approach in other slashers.
With the cast dwindled down to the most necessary players — Marius, Marius’ best friend and romantic interest, and a few other notable ancillary characters — We Might Hurt Each Other is able to better focus on the element that makes this film shine a bit brighter. Early on, we see the property is randomly decorated with a kind of wooden carving known as rūpintojėlis (or Pensive Christ). With teens being teens, the religious icons are all desecrated in one way or another. Thoughts of folk horror then naturally creep into your head. Admittedly, Trukanas keeps the motive and killer more grounded than expected, in consideration of the setup, but the decision worked out for the best.
We Might Hurt Each Other plays a lot with the idea of image. Not only does the protagonist want to change how others see him, he wants to see a different reflection. His doing so, however, includes a character assassination that may not appeal to everyone. Especially slasher purists. Also, the film’s religious component doesn’t go unnoticed; the carvings depict the contemplating Jesus whose unavoidable future hangs heavy over his head. Similarly but perhaps less illustrious, Marius and his classmates are drawn into a situation where the outcome is as dreadful and inescapable.
Festive youths gruesomely dying due to their misbehavior and ill-timing sounds tired, but We Might Hurt Each Other is a fresh take on an overused routine. It’s proof that a slasher’s success entirely depends on the execution.
We Might Hurt Each Other screened at Chattanooga Film Fest 2023, and it will be available for streaming on SCREAMBOX starting on July 11.
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