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THE ATROCITY CIRCLE
Produced by Rosetta Workman
Directed and Written by Andrew Copp
Edited by Henrique Couto and Andrew Copp
Director of Photography - John GolubBrandon - Chris Workman
Samantha - Telsa
Lisa - Michelle McClaughlin
Det. Serrano - Geoff Burkman
The Wolf - Rich MacdonaldViolence begets violence.
What goes around, comes around.
Those are two lessons my grandmother taught me as a child. As an adult, I've learned there's no escaping them unless you're able to turn your back on them completely. There's a never-ending sickness in man that compels us to do unto others as they have done unto us, especially when it comes to being wronged. It's so ingrained in our society that a bastard deserves his comeuppance that even disposable pop-culture entertainment, be it video games such as light as SUPER MARIO BROTHERS or movies as violent as KILL BILL, champions the validity of an eye for an eye despite the moral coda of "turn the other cheeck" or "love thy neighbor." No, this is the age of "he'll get his," and "he had it coming."
The world can be an ugly place, that goes without saying. Abuse, torture, rape, and murder are just a few of the warts on the nose of our culture. Considering the heinous nature of the crimes, is "he had it coming" really that far out of the question? Are there some people so vile in their actions that they need to die? That's the question director Andrew Copp tackles with his 1970's-inspired rape-revenge flick, THE ATROCITY CIRCLE.
This isn't your typical rape-revenge flick either. Established conventions in the genre find the victim or the victim's immediate loved one (ie. Father or spouse/partner) gunning for the gang rapists. Protagonist Brandon is little more than friends with the victim. It's hinted that perhaps he had a crush on Samantha, the victim, but by the time he launches his vendetta, Brandon has been married for years with a child on the way. His memory of the rape suppressed over the years until one day on his new job he's forced to work the crime scene for a different rape-murder. Images of the event come to the surface and years of guilt are released.
As Brandon goes about his rampage, Copp does something I've never seen in this sort of film, he goes about humanizing some of the rapists. As a viewer, does one actually want to sympathize with scumbag predators? Especially when the pay off is their demise? Perhaps Copp's point is that despite the cyclical nature of violence, someone outside of the immediate circle is bound to get hurt. After all, everybody loves somebody. Even the death of a vile, degenerate rapist is bound to affect someone negatively.
Brandon's rampage is typical for the genre. With the weapons always representing a phallus, the resulting violence is meant to emasculate the rapists. What violence that doesn't directly result in a neutering, Copp states on the commentary that the script usually intended for a form of castration but couldn't perform the gag either for time or budgetary reasons. Copp also reveals a homo-erotic undertone that I initially never picked up on.
At the center of the events of THE ATROCITY CIRCLE is a question of guilt. How each character deals with the guilt of the rape is what compels Copp's characterization. Brandon feels guilty at being unable to defend his friend. Another character suffering from sexual dysfunction beats his wife. A third character identifies the moment of the rape as the point where his life started its downward spiral. The irony is that the ones feel no guilt are the ones who can put an end to Brandon's vendetta. Brandon's weakness is his moral code. Those without are more apt to sink to a level of ruthlessness than he may not be able to reach.
While Copp might have been making an exploitation picture, he's stamped his own moral code all over THE ATROCITY CIRCLE. And while I hate to publicly quote Brett Ratner, he put it best when he said that at the very least, a director provides a point of view for the material. Without even listening to the commentary, it's easy for one to see that not only does Copp support the notion of an eye for an eye, but in a case of rape he supports the wiccan belief that inhuman acts should come back on the perpetrator ten fold. Copp takes every kill scene to its farthest, bloodiest extreme.
Regulars viewers of Copp's work might suggest that his excessiveness is part of his style, especially those that have seen THE MUTILATION MAN. But I think the level of violence has more to do with the nature of the initiating act. In his short films, Copp has shown restraint, but both TAC and TMM deal with rape. Both films explore the level of damage the act leaves behind and how the survivors deal with the pain. The bloody pain shown on the outside is merely a reflection of mental anguish the characters deal with.
I have to applaud any filmmaker, especially at the microbudget level, who is willing to spin a personal story reflecting the autheurist theory, especially since the chance for turning a profit is almost nil. The passion is in the story and not the wallet. Copp tells stories reflective of who he is and how he sees the world, and that's the definition of a true artist. Whether Copp is exercising his own demons or exploring his own mental anguish is something only he can say, but it sure seems that way. As long as Copp keeps pouring his heart and soul into his cinema I'll be there waiting for the next production. I'll take a Copp film over any of the so-called underground filmmakers today churning out insipid, braindead backyard productions any day of the week. Copp's sensibilities are much like my own. On the dvd commentary I even found out that we share a common hero, famed child rights advocate/lawyer/novelist Andrew Vacchs, a practicing attorney who only takes cases regarding child exploitation. Vacchs' novels are what allow Vacchs to tackle his cases pro bono, and they're also reflective of the writer's struggle as each one deals with the very child exploitation that he's fighting during his day job. It was Vacchs who inspired me over a decade to take up the cause of child exploitation and to this date every screenplay I write touches upon the subject. Are we all brothers in arms? I'd like to think so.
The self-distributed dvd release of THE ATROCITY CIRCLE contains a collection of trailers for Copp's feature films, as well as the previously mentioned director's commentary, and a number of outtakes.