mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Andy Steel For this film to even have a chance of working, the audience has to have some kind of connection with our grieving couple. Unfortunately we are never allowed to really get to understand their plight as we are whisked off to the jungle very quickly. Yes, there is some flashback stuff, but by then I was just beyond caring. She was clearly nuts and he just wanted to go home. I can't even say I liked the performances; I guess they were good, but because I really couldn't engage with the characters, I found it all far too 'arty' for my taste. Definitely not one that will get any repeat viewings from me and sadly not one I can recommend.SteelMonster's verdict: NOT RECOMMENDEDMy score: 3.2/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Wuchak Many reviewers denounce 2008's "Vinyan" because it's not a typical horror film, but that's precisely why it's worthwhile. It's original.An American couple in Thailand discover possible evidence that their young son who died in a tsunami six months earlier is still alive and living in the jungles of Myanmar (Burma). They pay some dubious characters a lot of money to go up river into the forbidden country. Things go from bad to worse."Vinyan" is equal parts haunting, beautiful, strange and creepy. The plot is thin but the story maintains your attention. The acting is excellent all around and you believe that these characters are real. The five main characters are Paul and Jeane Bellmer (Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Béart), a human trafficker named Thaksin Gao, the captain of the small boat named Sonchaï and the couple's liaison, Kim (Julie Dreyfus).Memorable parts abound -- Kim's subtle-but-clear seduction of Paul, the beautiful floating-lanterns at the beach ceremony, the awesome tree fortress, etc.The meaning of the film is ambiguous, but it provokes thought on many things: The nature of grief -- letting go or not letting go, obsession, madness, tribal instincts, going feral and more.As for the tribe of lost kids in the last act, are they vinyan -- angry, confused spirits who suffered horrible deaths -- or are they simply a pack of kids gone wild in the jungle a la "Lord of the Flies"? I say the evidence points to the latter.In any event, "Vinyan" has elements of films like "Apocalypse Now," "The Emerald Forest," "Fitzcaraldo" (or "Aguirre") and the aforementioned "Lord of the Flies".The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in Thailand.GRADE: B+

Tim Kidner Seems that many hated this mysterious chiller. Some thought it great, I quite liked it.The premise was a little different to the usual, with added credibility of the tsunami link and thus a genuine, human emotion for the couple to search for their missing child. Such emotion can be justifiably overblown in movies - making psychological issues out of almost anything.Yes, it looked good, very good. The attractive, sexy leads, (Emmanuelle Beart and Rufus Sewell, who still managed to remain mostly believable) the sultry landscapes and the monsoon weather, all adding to a great, eerie atmosphere. That it is compared, albeit only visually, to Apocalypse Now is to its credit, surely. Yes, it is ultimately mumbo- jumbo black magic nonsense but that hardly mattered, this is a moody chiller, not world class drama.The final scenes are not only well done, but pretty chilling, too. Not out and out horror, but ones that make you momentarily stare in numbed disbelief. The whole is greatly helped by a hauntingly atmospheric score by François-Eudes Chanfrault.No, I won't be searching for other films by director Fabrice du Welz but I've seen a lot worse movies in my time and for what it set out to do, was quite good.

Lewis Kelsey This is the worst film I have ever watched. Firstly there is a psycho woman who lost her son in a Tsunami. LIKE GET OVER IT U STUPID C**T. Then her retarded husband gives a chink 1.5m to find the son which is dead. They get conned and stranded in the Burmese jungle. There is NO blood and gore apart from 2 scenes where, trust me, the death is so boring. I mean COME ON, the film's 1h 30min long. I got to 1h 26mins and the film just suddenly ends with some slut having her tits rubbed in muck, when there should be loads more. F**k 'dangers of the Burmese jungle' like three fat 8 year old's with twigs Please guys don't watch this s**t.