Protanopia (2024)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

After Luke’s (Anthony Carey) sister goes missing he begins having visions. These visions ultimately pull Alan Roscoe Jr. (Timothy J. Cox) into his story. Alan has recently lost his father, a well-respected man, and is now tasked with maintaining the family name and household. These two stories converge aggressively in Protanopia. Does Alan have what it takes to garner the same respect as his father? Will Luke find his sister? Only time will tell. 

The opening of Protanopia is haunting, daunting, nerve wracking. It opens with the following quote: 

So he shall look at the spot, and if the spot on the walls

of the house has greenish or reddish depressions

and appears deeper than the surface (...)

the priest shall come (...) and quarantine the house…

–Leviticus 14:37 - 38

Cleansing of a Leprous House

This alone is enough to make your skin crawl, as Writer-Director Matthew Mahler references sin, quarantine, and the like–introducing viewers to themes that will likely transcend the entirety of Protanopia. Even better, Mahler leaves these words on the screen far longer than they need to be, hammering in the ideas that exist just beneath the surface of this Biblical quote. 

Next, viewers get a scratching sound, one that fills the screen and forces the hair on the backs of viewers to stand upright. Mahler has us, and there’s no way that we can look away at this point. What is that noise? What does it mean for Protanopia?

If these things weren’t enough to pull viewers to the edges of their seats, Mahler takes it a step further and introduces us to one of the most haunting voices that I’ve heard in cinema in some time. The dark, demonic voice of John Mahler (whose role I won’t spoil) adds to the gravity of the situation that we still don’t know much about. It’s still early, only a few minutes into Protanopia, and while we are given enough information to prepare us for much of what’s to come–we are still very much in the dark. Mahler is brilliant in this regard. He finds ways to rope us in, to give viewers a reason to stick around–and we aren’t even sure why yet. 

Then there’s Cox, someone who I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with about his process and many of the roles that he has taken on in the past. Though, his role as Alan Roscoe Jr. feels significantly different from many of those prior roles–and he slays this performance. Cox is ultimately tasked with playing the creepy, solitary man–the one that makes everyone just a little uncomfortable. Protanopia can’t thrive narratively without Cox bringing his A-game, and nearly every step of the way he does all that he needs to in order to see the film thrive. It’s all in his eyes, as he rarely blinks in the most intense moments of the film, pulling viewers into them, engulfing them in his story and the film as a whole. 

The one issue I have with Protanopia is the sound, as there are a handful of times throughout the course of the film in which certain characters (often Janice [Paula Mahler]) who are nearly inaudible. Those scenes become challenging to watch, to digest–and in those moments the film loses its luster. Protanopia always regains its footing, but those moments feel longer than they actually are as a result of their struggles. There is a feeling of congestion that looms in those moments, and it steals from what could have potentially been hard-hitting moments in this horror film. 

Protanopia plays out like a fever dream, one in which it’s often difficult to wrap our minds around. Flashing lights, scenery that bleeds color, and intentionally fractured (and heavily edited) cinematography come together to create something dizzying. Mahler pulls out all the stops, and he creates something that is vertiginous. Now, there are moments where Protanopia feels incredibly low budget, and let’s be honest, it is. However, paired with the brilliant visuals of the majority of the film, these moments pale in comparison, and they feel obviously lesser. The film as a whole is well done, visually stunning–and the film as a whole is a veritable mind fuck. It’s a tantalizing film that hits many of the cords needed to find it success–and Mahler is the mastermind behind it all. 

Written & Directed by Matthew Mahler. 

Starring Timothy J. Cox, Anthony Carey, Paula Mahler, John Mahler, James Chase, etc. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING