‘Rotten Love’ gave us the feeling of being the baby version of a fatal combination: ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and the infamous ‘The Room’. Even though it starts in a way that raises expectations up to the sky, the way it continues and how the narrative develops will let you as a viewer puzzled in some situations, feeling lost, but still understanding some of the basic moves. ‘Rotten Love’ is focused on a love story that, as the title says it, goes wrong at some point. We haven’t seen the bright part of this story, as it starts with the grim love side, on a Halloween night (as the female character implies).
Turian tried to make these two characters look as tough as one can get, to be extremely expressive through unspoken passion, to be like two volcanoes that are going to erupt. But there is a big difference from what the director wanted it to be, and what the final result got to be; the male character, trying to be a bad macho man, ends up being just a lunatic that talks to the imaginary projections of his dead girlfriend. Also, the woman in this movie is being amazingly submissive, but maybe she is role-playing, and we didn’t get the subliminal message.
The backdrop of every scene was nicely calculated, with dim lights where it was suitable, and expressive colors with a monotone feeling in the outdoor scenes (mostly near the end of the movie). The last minute of the movie, when the main character dugs a hole in his garden was really important for us, as we are keen on expressive shots and backdrops; the house in back, the calmness of the nearby trees indicated a deep explosive storm in the heart and soul of the main character, and so it was. The main character does what most of us expected him to do, ending 'Rotten Love' in a classic way.
Written by Vlad A. G