"Toad Road" (2013)

A friend of mine recommended "Toad Road" (2013) to me and the way he described it, I expected it to be something along the lines of "Yellowbrickroad" (2010), a film that I loved. To put it mildly, it's nothing like that film, nor is it even a horror film per se. Rather it's more of an experimental film that captures the decadent lives of a group of drug users so well that it feels more like a documentary. Ultimately the film is about one low life, James, who meets a young college student (with a bright future ahead of her) named Sarah, and introduces her to the world of psychedelic drugs. Sarah soon finds herself hooked and upon learning of a mysterious urban legend about a trail in the woods known as "Toad Road", which supposedly leads the traveler to new levels of consciousness, she convinces James to follow along with her. Now, I'm not going to tell you what happens after that, not because I don't want to spoil it, but rather because I have no earthly clue. The film itself feels authentic in a way few films do (especially since these are all non-actors and their dialog is all improvised) and because of that I was drawn into this cesspool of a world these characters inhabited and was willing to go along with this journey. However, the film offers no answers whatsoever, which on one hand gives it an eerie vibe, but at the same time I found somewhat grating. You keep waiting for some idea as to what is going on and then suddenly the movie ends (and rather quickly too, at only 75 minutes). Still, if you don't mind a film that plays head games with it's audience, there's a lot to recommend here. 7 out of 10 for me.