The Review Was Originally Published as Part of My Coverage of Fantasia 2021
A parasitologist is kidnapped and placed in a life-suspension chamber in Tin Can. There is a fungal outbreak known as Coral raging in Eastern Canada and Fret (Anna Hopkins) is a leading parasitologist looking for a cure. However, Fret is suddenly attacked and she wakes up in a life-suspension chamber, surrounded by people in the same situation, including Fret's partner John (Simon Mutabazi), along with Wayne (Michael Ironside) and Darcy (Amy Trefry). Fret becomes determined to escape this human-sized tin can and find out what has happened to the rest of the world.
Tin Can is a science fiction thriller from writer/director Seth A. Smith (The Crescent), which takes inspiration from films such as Cube, the early body horror of David Cronenberg, and even Alexandre Aja's recent film Oxygen. The bulk of the plot takes place within the titular “tin can,” though the film features a number of flashbacks showing Fret's history with John and how she ended up being placed in a suspension trailer for an undetermined amount of time. The glimpses we get of the world outside the chamber show a dystopian-looking facility, where suited-up guards gather the infected and dispose of them in a brutal fashion.
I was a huge fan of Seth A. Smith's previous film The Crescent and I was looking forward to seeing what he did with his follow-up. While Tin Can features a well-constructed sci-fi world, the plot does get a little hard to follow, especially in the much more surreal second half of the film. Also, the film practically wastes the casting of Michael Ironside, who practically has a voice-over role in the film, only appearing on screen for like 5 minutes total. However, if you like your science fiction films on the very weird side, which also happens to comment a bit on the current COVID-19 pandemic, then Tin Can is worth checking out.
Tin Can is airing on Super Channel Fuse October 31, 2021, at 11:30 PM as part of the 2021 Blood in the Snow Film Festival
Related Links
Trailer for Tin Can – Blood in the Snow 2021
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