Belonging, dependence and redemption in 72 minutes at the East End Film Festival
 
My sociology lecturer once told me, after I had finished a class presentation, how I would be an excellent cult leader. He said that I was brilliantly charismatic and had this skill of making people believe what I was saying, despite the very fact that everything that left my mouth was utter, and I quote him here, “BULLS**T!” After Watching Charlie Griak’s The Center, what I originally took as a backhanded compliment, I found to be damn right insulting.
The film follows new college graduate, Ryan Marek (Matt Cici), as he tries to struggle through his existential crisis. In his endeavours, he unwittingly stumbles into a cult-like organisation led by the captivating leader Vincent Alexander (Judd Einen). What he thought offered him hope and purpose, he soon realises, in actuality, preys on the weak.
With Silence of the Lambs’ director Jonathan Demme taking on the role of executive producer for this film, I was expecting the conventional movie about cults with satanic beliefs, fire-rituals and naked women proclaiming themselves to the pagan-gods as they feast on their children’s flesh. In fact, I was counting on it, and it was one of the main reasons why I wanted to watch The Center. That was not what I got, and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
With a film that is merely 72 minutes long, I was apprehensive about the storytelling of The Center. However, it is testament to the true artistry of Griak that there was nothing to worry about considering the admirable editing the film appears to have undergone. It is brilliantly shot and not a single frame can be deemed irrelevant. What Griak essentially did was cut the fat out of the film and leave us with a product that has a chillingly real insight as to how an individual can find themselves in a cult-like situation, without fully having realised their journey.
The film illustrates how these types of cult groups make individuals feel a sense of grandeur, not just a sense of purpose, and plant the idea that they are people to envy. I would go so far as to say The Center is extremely relevant in today’s society where, on every news channel, we are fed the barbarism of ISIS, an organisation that offers young men something seemingly worth fighting for. One cannot help but wonder how these men, often teenagers brought up in England and North America, can be led to carry out such heinous acts. This movie is a perfect depiction of that, albeit at a far less extreme measure. The Center demonstrates the brainwashing process, the forced dependence on the organisation, the slow but sure infusing of the idea that the philosophy they live by, the one they are determined to spread, is far superior to all others. In reality, they are hunters, feeding their own egoism by targeting the weak.
What’s most important about this film, though, is that our hero does manage to see the error of his ways, and we are offered a resolution. A resolution that could have been more satisfying. I found myself skipping forward a good few minutes to see if there was an after credit scene to offer a more pleasing ending. Alas, there was none, and so I watched the last scene at least three more times to force myself to be content with it. It worked to an extent.
The Center has now been shown at multiple festivals with great success and many screenings have been sold out. It will be premiering in the UK at the East End Film Festival on 6th July 2015 at 6.30pm at Genesis Cinema.
Will you like the film? I honestly couldn’t say. I imagine it to be rather polarising.
Did I like it? That’s debateable, and I could be deemed an “uncultured swine” because I still wanted to see more blood.
Can I appreciate it as a beautiful piece of art? Absolutely. Griak, who not only directed, but wrote and edited the film, clearly poured his heart and soul into this – and it’s obvious. What could possibly make a piece of art more enamouring than being able to see the artist’s pulse running through it?
The Center will be premiering in the UK at the East End Film Festival on 6 July 2015 at 6.30pm at Genesis Cinema. We are partnering with Mydylarama to bring you broader coverage of select film festivals.

Photo Credits: East End Film Festival