Titled "The Conference," Patrick Eklund’s latest movie, launching on Netflix this "Friday the 13th," subtly tips its hat to the iconic Jason Voorhees, albeit without directly parading the hockey mask-clad boy in its frames. The narrative stitches together the eeriness found in “Triangle of Sadness” and the palpable suspense evocative of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Eklund's cinematic creation explores the grim recompense that a cohort of largely avaricious capitalists encounters, unfolding in a work conference just before the inauguration of a shopping mall, an endeavor poised to misappropriate land from industrious individuals and inevitably crumbling in strikingly dismal ways.
The protagonists, mostly driven by lucrative ends, are not particularly adept at their nefarious undertakings. They manipulate financial records, deceptively claim partnerships with corporations like IKEA, and their mutual animosity simmers beneath the surface. A corporate retreat, decked with ziplines and trust-building activities, morphs into a nightmare as unforeseen adversities loom large.
Lina, embodied by Katia Winter of “Dexter” fame, emerges as the most amiable entity amid a sea of profit-obsessed cronies. Having been absent during the majority of the corporate corruption, she returns to find contracts devoid of any remuneration for the farmers stripped of their land. Navigating through a corporate retreat that eerily resembles a deserted summer camp, she endeavours to unearth the culprits behind the malevolence while maneuvering amid colleagues, a mix of allies and those echoing the unnervingly cheerful boss, Ingela (played by Maria Sid). Ingela, with her eerie smiles, ardently believes in motivation derived from intensive positivity.
The film doesn’t dawdle to plunge into the harrowing as the unnamed slasher navigates through the forest, systematically eliminating the retreat attendees and those who sought to harness the power of positivity. Amidst the ongoing squabble and Lina’s investigation into the past wrongdoings, a machete-wielding figure lurks, mercilessly striking through individuals. Donning the camp mascot head, which is simultaneously absurd and horrifying, the killer conjures an image reminiscent of a distorted version of one of the seven dwarves – perhaps, Slashy could be a fitting name.
“The Conference” astutely scrutinizes the superficiality that often shrouds corporate motivational rhetoric, intertwining workplace humor and horror in a manner reminiscent of films like “Severance” and “Mayhem,” though with its own distinct flair. Eklund employs a commendable succinctness, avoiding prolonged speeches or a gradually escalating tension. He positions his dim-witted characters within an inescapable scenario, crafting inventive means to eradicate them sequentially. Without divulging spoilers, the concluding scenes effectively underscore how the characters, even in the absence of a psychopath lurking in the wilderness, inherently exude violence and destructiveness.
In sum, Eklund’s “The Conference” stands out as a cinematic piece that succinctly blends horror and dark comedy, exploring the inherent malice and consequence in corporate greed, crafting a narrative that is as engaging as it is thought-provoking, and does so with a brevity that keeps audiences firmly anchored from start to finish.
