ITCH!
A review by Aaron Barrocas

ITCH!



Bari Kang sits confidently at the helm of his third feature film. From the first scene, it’s clear that he knows the story he wants to tell, the themes he wants to explore, and the human dynamics he wants to discuss.

Itch! is a tense, limited location, zombie-style horror that brings to mind the films of George Romero and Eli Roth. Like the best of its ilk, the main conflict in Itch! is not human vs zombie, but rather human vs human.

As the NYC-based story begins, we meet widowed Dad Jay (portrayed by Bari Kang himself), and his nonverbal, emotionally disturbed elementary school-aged daughter, Olivia (Olivia Kang). Olivia struggles not only with the recent loss of her mother to cancer, but also with cruel classmates who torment her at school. With no way to express any of her pain, she occasionally lashes out violently, biting classmates, and even adults.

Olivia’s Grandpa Joe (Steven Alonte) swings by the house to say he won’t be opening the family store today - Jay’s Mom is under the weather and needs some looking after. So Jay offers to open the store in his Dad’s place, and the events of the film are put into motion.

After dropping off Olivia at school, Jay heads to his Dad’s 99 Cent Plus store where he encounters Grandpa Joe’s employee Lisa (Mia Ventura Lucas), and recently terminated employee Miguel (Patrick Michael Valley). Miguel feels certain that he has been mistreated and accused of stealing (hence his dismissal) due to his undocumented immigrant status. As Grandpa Joe claims, in reference to Miguel’s religious nature, “these bible thumpers - they always sneak up on you!”

Outside of the store - but also inside of the store, a contagious condition is spreading. The main symptom is an unbearable itch that leads to violent, uncontrollable scratching. It quickly becomes clear that this is a widespread health emergency.

Olivia is sent home from school for the day due to a biting incident, so Jay brings her to work - just in time for an armed robbery attempt. The violent “itch” related chaos outside turns to a fever pitch, and the store is locked - thieves, Jay, Lisa, Olivia, and an annoyed customer, “Henry” (Douglas Stirling), stuck inside.

First major spoiler right now - so this is where you stop reading if you’d like to avoid that kind of thing - it happens fairly early in the movie and you’re an adult who knows your own spoiler tolerance. We quickly learn that the armed robbers are recently fired Miguel and his pregnant niece Gabriella (Ximena Uribe). Miguel was falsely accused of stealing, Grandpa Joe won’t pay him for his last month of work, his niece is in a terrible situation, he feels the store owes him, and he’s out of options - so he and his niece make a very poor decision.

And so we have our quarantine pod - Jay, Olivia, Miguel, Gabriella, Henry, and Lisa. We’re in our NOTLD house, our Dawn mall, our Cabin Fever vacation house. If you can’t stop scratching for more than 10 seconds, you’ve got it, and you’re as good as dead - and the dead regenerate to continue spreading it. This thing has unquestionably made it inside the store, and to protect themselves, our pod must murder anybody who has been infected.

In addition to all the people mentioned above, the store itself is a strong character in the film. We are introduced to all of the different unique rooms, thanks to DP Brendan McGowan’s and Art Director Monica De Oliveira’s clever use of the space. The mercilessly bright and color-filled main sales floor (a perfect setup for some very bright red blood), the shadowy brick and wooden stock room/storage areas, the dimly lit office, the upstairs hallway - each their own textured world that keeps the limited location film from feeling uniform or monotone.

Still on texture, the score for this film was composed by Josh Roepe (credited in the movie as FASHION.). It’s a dark, synth score with retro vibes, at times incorporating deep, gurgling sound effects into the music, giving the constant sensation of discomfort, supporting the overt moments and underlying threats, while never stealing focus.

Itch! has powerful body horror elements, and the gore and special effects makeup created by Mariana Guzman Corrales is at times shocking. However, it isn’t constant, and it’s not the main focus of the movie. Kang uses the horror to accentuate story - rather than in place of story.

Horror is often the unkindest label because it immediately closes off many viewers who don’t recognize that the best dramas and social commentaries are hidden under that red horror sticker. The movie, from the start, lives in a place of real life horror. A troubled child who has lost her mother. A father who is frightened that he is destroying his daughter’s chances at a good life. This is a family story that discusses poverty, desperation, cruelty, and the immigrant experience.

Itch! is an irreverent film, tackling all our institutions - religion, country, healthcare - but without leaning too heavily - letting the story do the talking.

Every film wants to know who its characters are when the heat is on, and this film posits that maybe we’re not who we want to believe we are - not just as individuals but as a society - specifically, as a country. There’s a strong suggestion that after years of being told the USA is a melting pot, we more closely resemble a powder keg. Kang unsubtly frames one of the grisliest murders of the film in a doorway which has graffiti of an American Flag on it’s left side, and the word Dream spraypainted on it’s right. Characters get sick and hide it. Even the most likeable characters commit crimes and blame easy targets. We’re not who we want to believe we are.

This is a story about how one act of unkindness can lead to another, and how the golden rule we were taught as children is all but out the window in our current political and social landscape.

Religion is also part of the film’s discussion. The most religious character unwittingly introduces the deadliest aspects of the story. The group sits down to what is essentially a Last Supper, made of convenience store food and liquor. While religion as a whole is not necessarily shown disrespect, irony and at times hypocrisy are strongly hinted at.

What I like about all this is that Kang didn’t just use his resources - a limited budget, some talented collaborators, and limited locations - to make a film because he wanted to and could. He used those resources to share his voice. And that distinction makes a huge difference between making a movie, and making a movie worth making.

And despite the concern about who we are, there’s some hint that love conquers all - or at least provides hope, and if you surrender yourself to the world of this movie, the ending will hit you in your feels.

That’s only possible because we believe the performances. You can’t make a tense, atmospheric horror without a strong cast, and Bari Kang as Jay, with his small quarantine pod, hold the full weight of the movie. Strong nods go to Patrick Michael Valley and Ximena Uribe, as Miguel and Gabriella - two morally complicated characters who provide much of the overall conflict. And of course, young Olivia Kang more than carries her weight as troubled Olivia.

Before I get to the issues I have with this movie - one more thing that I absolutely love about it. The credits. Watch the end credits of this movie to see the same names three or four or more times. The IMDB entry for Itch! has 17 unique names. That’s the indie spirit - we are going to make a movie with the things we have and it will be good. Bring every hat you have to set, because you’ll be wearing them.

Now the rough stuff. The script needed a polish pass on the dialogue. Just a fine-tooth through the final draft to knock out a few cliche lines here and there - the kinds of lines that we’re used to hearing in horror films, but provide no insight into character, no new information, and don’t necessarily feel natural - like “this can’t be happening”. These issues have minimal impact when everything else is working well, so occasionally uninspired dialogue doesn’t diminish the power of Itch!, but one more pass on the screenplay could have adjusted those moments. My one other complaint is that Kang worked so hard to give each character their own backstory and history that at times it felt shoehorned in. I understand and love the idea that this situation breaks down barriers and allows characters to say things they otherwise would never bring up. But there were times when I was ready to get back to the existential threat, rather than delve deeper elsewhere.

All that being said, this is a smartly-made, at times unnerving movie from filmmakers who love doing what they’re doing. It’ll keep your attention, and you’ll turn some of it over in your head after the credits run. Congrats to the small cast and crew for setting out to make this thing and nailing it. It’s easy to see how it landed a home at Dances with Films NY, and I predict it will find a wide audience. I give it 8.5 out of 10 bloody fingernails.

Aaron Barrocas is an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, and editor living in Los Angeles. He has spent the past 25 years as an active part of the entertainment industry. AaronBarrocas.com