A tattoo artist is forced to confront his past.
MARKED is used with permission from Matthew Avery Berg. Learn more at matthew-avery-berg.com.
Sasha is a tattoo artist working on a client named Alexei at the end of his workday. Sasha himself is covered with tattoos, which he and his client chat over as Sasha works away. As the pair talk, Alexei discovers Sasha is a family man, having reformed himself from a questionable past.
But when Sasha is asked about one of his tattoos, Alexei reveals that he knows more about the symbol than Sasha lets on. He also knows much more about Sasha than previously thought, even as he reveals an agenda of his own.
Directed and written by Matthew Avery Berg, this tense thriller begins as a meditative, quiet two-hander, as two strangers chat over a seemingly cut-and-dried service and transaction. As the sound of Sasha's tattoo gun whirs intermittently, the writing takes advantage of the proximity that a tattoo artist and their client share to chart the increasing closeness of their conversation. Mirroring the emotional dynamic, the film is also visually intimate, with the two men sharing a dark, cramped and shadowy space, though the shots and angles are so attuned to the psychological shifts in Sasha and Alexei that it never feels static. Instead, a sense of darkness encroaches visually, creeping in on the pair.
The strength of the film lies in its writing and performances, with richly textured dialogue that is natural and compelling, especially as Alexei nudges Sasha to open up. We learn about Sasha's current life as a husband and father, as well as his troubled past, and the two men share a philosophical conversation about redemption, atonement and whether one's past can ever truly be left behind.
The characters are brought to life by actor Daniel Giacomini, who plays Sasha with a gruff stoicism that slowly breaks open to reveal hidden depth, and veteran Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts, who turns in a masterful performance as Alexei. Roberts plays Alexei with a down-to-earth charisma and charm, an empathetic stranger whose willingness to listen allows a closed-off man to open up. But then Roberts reveals darker shades of his character, propelling the film to its riveting, shocking conclusion.
It would be hard to forget the ending of MARKED, where the overtones of darkness unfurl in a rush of action that's equal parts furious and inexorable. The violence revealed is almost Biblical in its symbolism, positing perhaps that there is no escape from the past. We can never merely leave it behind in the shadows as we may wish, hoping that our transgressions are forgotten with time. But there can be no true redemption without accountability and atonement, and the dark twin of justice is vengeance, from which there is no escape in Sasha and Alexei's brutal world.