Hurricanes are scary in and of themselves, without the need for a predator. Carlos Brooks‘ Burning brightly features not only a Category 3 hurricane, but also a ferocious tiger for added impact. When this film was first announced, its plot was met with laughter and doubt; the idea was as fascinating as it was ridiculous. Over time, however, this thrilling story of a girl, a boy and a tiger became a shining example of how to put a great concept into action.
Two different but equally uncontrollable forces are at the beginning of the Burning brightly. While Hurricane Isabel looms large in the background, a young woman is finally confronted with her family situation. College student Kelly (Briana Evigan, Sorority Series) makes the difficult decision to leave her autistic brother Tom behind (Charlie Tahan, Super Dark Times) when life surprises her once again. Kelly’s plans are ruined after her late mother’s husband, Johnny (Garret Dillahunt, Last house on the left) steals the money that was meant for Tom’s new care. And for what? A wild animal ranch, the center of which is, of course, a former circus tiger that the Meatloaf. The musician’s exuberant cameo seems almost out of place in this film, but the character is a powerful reminder not to take the tiger lightly, even when the plot seems absurd.
There is no natural way to work a tiger into this story, as these creatures are exotic to most people. They don’t belong here, let alone come from a place like Florida. So there has to be some kind of bridge that brings these disparate elements together. And after assuming that Johnny’s latest purchase would simply escape from his enclosure and get into Kelly’s house, Burning brightly thinks even further outside the box and reveals that the tiger released. The development of this plot is so crazy and so diabolical that it sounds like it was cooked up by EC Comics.
Pictured: Kelly (Briana Evigan) and Tom (Charlie Tahan) confront Johnny.
The film has no time and needs no time to think about the reasons and backgrounds of the characters’ sudden predicament. Like Kelly and Tom, Burning brightly is in survival mode. The director is instead too busy finding efficient ways to maintain momentum and keep the audience engaged. These forty-plus minutes of a (great) game of cat and mouse could have quickly fallen apart in less capable hands, but Brooks manages to avoid the worst possible outcome in these kinds of concept stories. That is, boring the audience by either desensitizing them to the threat or the animal, or simply being too repetitive.
In contrast to Alexandre Aja’s similar nature horror film Creep — the 80s Snake thriller Fair play is an even better match — Burning brightly doesn’t have the luxury of a dynamic setting (among other things). Kelly and Tom are essentially doomed to leave their house after it’s been sealed with them inside, so the characters here go around in circles quite a bit, revisiting the same parts of the house. In return, however, this sense of closure to the story becomes more and more intense and evident on screen. The camera gets almost uncomfortably close, fixating on the actors’ faces, especially when their rawest emotions come out in some form.
Escaping the tiger would be easier than the symbolism of this film. Perhaps we should take a lesson from The descent and other films like this, Burning brightly uses a deadly creature – albeit not a fantastical one – to contextualize a personal dilemma. The straightforward approach means there is a lack of nuance. There is no doubt about what is being communicated here as Kelly fights for her and Tom’s lives. This kind of simplistic storytelling could perhaps lessen the film’s impact, but in this case the straightforward route works well. A precise allegory is preferable to a bad one.
Pictured: Garret Dillahunt’s character Johnny shows up and realizes that his plan didn’t work.
Burning brightly wouldn’t be nearly as effective without its leading actors. Charlie Tahan is often overlooked because Tom doesn’t speak, but for his age he delivered an impressive performance that never seems pretentious. Then there is Briana Evigana familiar face of 2000s horror who deserves some credit for her character’s lasting impression. She asked the filmmakers to polish Kelly’s personality to make her more likable: “If you didn’t care about her, why should you care if she survived?” And the work that went into the protagonist pays off. Yes, there is little delay before Burning brightly throws the brother and sister into the tiger pit that is now their home. However, it is important to remember that Christine Coyle-Johnson And Julie Prendiville RouxThe script doesn’t sacrifice character for plot once the tiger appears; the sibling relationship is explored further and further. Each scene – especially the one with the tiger – deepens the personal story at the core of the film and paves the way for a rewarding and cathartic ending.
This is not a subtle film. Quite the opposite. No, Burning brightly packs a pretty thick punch with traps, both literal and metaphorical, culminating in a rewarding tale of resilience thanks to solid direction and performances. Speaking of thematic complexity, the film is still a long way from its namesake – William Blake’s poem The Tiger — but there are poetic moments here and there.
Horror films take a deep look at how young people deal with adverse situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of all ages to face their fears, it is particularly interested in how teenagers cope in life-or-death situations.
The column Young blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers and other young people on the brink of terror.
