THE TATTOOIST [2018] (REVIEW)

Dir. Michael Wong

Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield

Today we live in a day and age where the plot of a film can be condensed into a trailer and in such times, what if the film was the length of the trailer? Something Michael Wong has taken to heart with his micro short THE TATTOOIST.

Running in at just 80 seconds, there's a lot to digest. Is everything real? What's the narrative? Wow, did that just happen? All valid questions the quick cut film sees the audience asking and yet not letting them go long enough to miss the next frame. THE TATTOOIST is an interesting short, one that has no narrative yet gives enough away to allow the audience to make up their own mind. Does the latest customer become a victim of a sadistic human trafficking/torture network? Is the ink supernatural? Is this trauma bought on by the tattooist? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, in between the manic screams and sound akin to TETSUO, there is much more to uncover here that begs more to be seen of Michael Wong.

There's plenty of gore, and close up horror within the short, that unlike most movie trailers, this one perfectly balances itself between leaving the audience wanting more and enticing them with the fragments of a story yet to be told. We really do hope to see a longer cut of THE TATTOOIST, something that feels very unique for the horror genre between the neon lights and blood drenched clientele held behind cells, there's enough mystery here to keep the momentum going for something special which is at the grasp of Wong.