MISTER LIMBO
Directed by: Robert G. Putka
Starring: Hugo De Sousa, Vig Norris. Hugo Armstrong,
A man known only as Mister Limbo awakens in the middle of a desert with no recollection of his part or how he got where he is. He soon meets others who seem to be wandering aimlessly…
Much like KING KNIGHT, Mr Limbo seems to have been wrongly categorized as a horror film, probably because of its metaphysical aspect and the possible appearance of either the devil or God…
Mister Limbo (De Sousa) awakens in the desert. He's wearing a jumpsuit and a very damaged parachute, lending to the theory that Limbo had suffered a bad landing which might account for his amnesia. He's otherwise fully functional, though.
We are never entirely sure what is going on, although we have a fair idea. While the characters may speculate their fate, for most of the film, the narrative presented plays it coy, keeping its viewers on their toes.
Director Robert Putka apparently conceived the idea for the film when he had a prolonged panic attack in a Las Vegas Hotel. It may seem bit of a reach to wind up with a film where not much happens in the middle of a desert, but on reflection, I can see what he was going for here. We have a man without a past, in a present he doesn't recognise or have any control over and no discernable future. That in itself is a panic attack waiting to happen.
Then there is the possibility that he is dead, that the people he meets are dead, and are waiting…for something, or someone, to happen. Other than Craig, a fellow wanderer in a bathrobe, everyone else seems to provide no real information or insight to what is going on. In one drug induced sequence, a young woman keeps chanting, "Everything is Everything" as If its some deep, meaningful statement.
MISTER LIMBO isn't the first film to tackle existential questions in this way. Roel Reine's Drifter had a similar idea but a bigger budget and the more recent Monica Veil had a better script. Limbo is shot without much in the way of equipment and there is a lot of hand-held shakycam as a result - not surprising given the location. However there is something here, something which draws you in and keeps you watching. Its partly the cast - De Souza and Vig Norris as Craig are both excellent - and part of it is the essence of that traumatic starting point, drawn through this creative and artistic interpretation.
THE VERDICT
This film is not going to suit everyone, especially those seeking a stable and reliable narrative. MISTER LIMBO leaves a lot to interpretation, including its final moment. Havng a bit of background knowledge of where this idea came from, really helps you appreciate its development and can see how this crazy endeavour came to be.