Censor is set in the UK during the '80s video nasties era and primarily revolves around Enid (Niamh Algar), a video censor. Enid starts to connect the exploitation films she works on with her own tragedy (involving her sister who went missing), eventually unable to distinguish between reality and hallucination. The first act really caught my interest - co-writer/director Prano Bailey-Bond acknowledges the era for its crime boom (which was wildly attributed to the rise of violent, low-budget horror films), and recreates the appropriate aesthetics.
The tone is seriously bleak and accentuated by the right colour grading. Seeing VHS tapes, VCRs, picture-tube TVs on one side and a deteriorating mind on the other - that's how I would sum it up. While Enid seeking closure regarding her sister is an intriguing direction that the makers went in, I'd have loved to see more meta-references to film-making and film-censoring in those times. That's what the first act, in fact, sets up. Enid's descent into mental chaos becomes the film's focus in the second act, and the meta elements only serve as background noise from that point on. The slick production aside, both the social commentary and the completion of Enid's character arc come off as relatively underdeveloped.
The final act goes bonkers. I like how the skewed aspect ratio offers a different visual perspective. The way the Welsh director uses VHS fuzziness to enhance the horror quotient is also quite impressive. Now, whether the writers' decision to take the film in a 'psychologically affecting' route instead of the 'investigative mystery' route excites you (or not) will ultimately determine your amusement levels. I did like Censor to a fair extent, and will definitely be looking forward to the director's next.
