Flick Pick: Re-Cycle

A young female writer of romantic novels decides to turn to the supernatural for her next book. As she struggles with writing, throwing away page after page of work, she begins having a series of strange and unsettling experiences. Before long, she's drawn into a dark, horrific alternate reality, populated by the lost, forgotten and discarded pieces of her life. That's the premise of Re-Cycle, a new film from Hong Kong filmmakers the Pang brothers. The movie starts off strong and does a great job building tension through a series of events that escalate in creepiness, until Ting-yin, the writer, enters the strange, shadowy underworld. From there, the film takes a turn into less frightening territory, trading the chills for an eerie atmosphere that positions the film as more of a dark fantasy flick than horror movie. With one notable exception, there's little sense of danger or malice from that point onward, and the focus shifts toward Ting-yin's journey of self-discovery and acceptance. The shift is a little abrupt, but it doesn't exactly derail the film — just slows it down. Impressive for its visual design and open appraisal of heavy, controversial themes, Re-Cycle is a solid film in the vein of Pan's Labyrinth that should please horror fans looking for more cerebral scares. It runs August 8 through 14 at Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli; call 303-595-3456 ext. 250 or visit www.denverfilm.org.