Something sinister is brewing in a backwoods homestead, as the isolated residence is set to host a rather unpleasant event. Perhaps unpleasant is an understatement, given how Tutu Grande goes about dishing out its own brand of justice. Helplessly restrained in a dimly lit room surrounded by various nefarious devices, Jared (Nathan Woodworth) is forced to confront his demons, with some assistance from his captor Jesse (Derek Sitter). So what kind of intricately painful torture is Jesse planning for his unwilling guest?
Writer, director, and star Derek Sitter immediately establishes the status quo. Jared is at the mercy of a father who carries some very personal grievances for people of his kind. Sitter’s Jesse is downright terrifying in the most fundamental of ways. There’s nothing too over-the-top about him. He dresses plainly and speaks with a signature Southern drawl, yet he has one simple goal on his mind that the script makes clear: revenge in the form of trauma. It’s these ingredients, outlined in just a few minutes of dialogue, that makes Jesse such a memorable character. And together with Woodworth’s Jared, they create an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife. Jesse does most of the talking, but Jared remains omnipresent, his uncertainty and fear captured perfectly by a committed Woodworth.
Despite all the horrific implications of the story itself, the film will definitely surprise you with how it goes about showcasing it. This inventive and welcome inverse of the ‘show, don’t tell’ aspect of filmmaking serves the film incredibly well. It lays the groundwork for what morbid acts are to come, and let’s the viewer fill in the blanks instead. Director of Photography Taylor Morden matches this sentiment, utilizing tight shot compositions and the surrounding darkness to heighten the mood.
Tying Tutu Grande together is a deliciously dark final act that makes good on the promise of the short’s ominous setting. In thirteen minutes, it accomplishes the kind of methodical, steadily-mounting dread that very few films of its kind can replicate.
