THE BRUTE

In the 1970s, children swimming in Lake Neusiedl believe they’ve discovered a strange creature in the murky water. Although no one has actually seen it, the regional tabloids quickly erupt with sensational headlines: the mysterious lake monster is suddenly blamed for everything that goes wrong in the area. Eventually, the excitement fades — and the story is forgotten.

Fifty years later, two young filmmakers pick up the trail and track down an elderly woman who, as a teenager, filmed the alleged sighting with her parents’ Super 8 camera. The footage shows little more than the lake’s opaque surface — But they soon learn that the now fully grown creature actually exists and lives with the woman in her remote hut in the reeds.

The short film shifts narratively from mockumentary to various horror sub-genres, pretends to be found footage, undermines the monster movie, and borrows from art horror and horror comedy — without ever becoming a proper horror film.

In the end, one question remains: what do we fear more — the monster, or its absence.

Director: Tove Stille

Country: Austria