Summary
Inkfound a new home through torrents after a lackluster box office release thanks to sci-fi movie fans falling in love with its offbeat, indie charm. The 2009 movie has a hilariously convoluted plot, and some of the acting choices avoid caution for the sake of embracing pure sci-fi camp instead. But at its core is a touching story about a father reconnecting with what matters most – his daughter. Sci-fi stories are no stranger to pulling at the heartstrings.
That same year, the movie adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novelThe Time Traveler’s Wifedelivered its own eclectic mix of heartfelt sincerity and sci-fi drama. So,Inkwasn’t alone in trying to find a different take on a classic genre. Director Jamin Winans just did it with less romance and more trippy technobabble. WhileInkdidn’t perform well in the box office, it still managed to find its way to an audience who could love it for all its experimental quirks.
Starring
Inkis what happens whensci-fimeets family drama. John Sullivan (Chris Kelly) is the classic movie dad prioritizing business over being there for his daughter Emma (Quinn Hunchar). After his wife Shelly (Shannan Steele) died in a tragic car accident, he threw himself into his work. It’s all fun, games, and fat paychecks until his daughter falls into a mysterious coma. Here’s where things get wacky andInkreveals its indie sci-fi nature to the audience.
It turns out there are three sets of extradimensional beings who govern what human minds do while sleeping. All of them are the spirits of humans who have died. Storytellers bring good dreams, Incubi plant nightmares, and Drifters exist in a sort of limbo between the two. A gnarly Drifter named Ink steals Emma’s soul with the hopes of using it to bargain for a role among the Incubi.
Like thepopular sci-fi horror animeThe Future Diary,Inkcombines the paranormal with mysticism and puts the survival of the main protagonist on a time crunch. It’s up to the Storytellers to save the day, but they can only get so far without her father’s help, which they get when he finally puts his daughter first. All it takes is a little patience and an epic hallway fight in a hospital.
The special effects in this 2009 indie sci-fi movie are surprisingly well-executed. Ink works within its $250,000 budget by keeping it simple, which feels novel in today’s world of flying heroes and magical villains. The Storytellers arrive inHarry Potter-esque blips of lightlooking their late-2000s best as they summon sweet dreams for the residents of a sleepy suburb. Once they’re gone, however, the Incubi show up looking like something out of a sci-fi nightmare (or a Soundgarden music video). They’re the bringers of bad dreams and they look the part. The screens attached to their faces and their black-and-white appearance give them an air of eerie detachment.
Unique filters peppered throughoutInkserve to tap into the movie’s unsettling undertone. Like when John argues with his father-in-law Ron Evans (Steve Sealy) and his office slowly transitions into a dark void as the the older man makes him angrier and angrier. Director Winans & co. manage to punch up the movie’s special effects with the story in mind in the tradition oflow-budget sci-fi movies. No wonderInkreceived a better reception through curious movie lovers sharing it through torrents. Only someone with the patience to pirate an indie sci-fi movie would take the time to cherish it the way it deserves.
Torrents Introduce Ink to New Audiences
None of this is to say that no one watchedInkor enjoyed what it offered. Rather, word-of-mouth hits differently without social media. The indie sci-fi movie had no passionate hashtags to catapult it into mainstream conversation. All it had was adamant fans sharing the film through torrents and doing their own enthusiastic marketing for it. The 2009 movie amassed over 400,000 shares on BitTorrent within a week of being posted. According to the file sharing news site TorrentFreak, the dedicated work of its fans made Ink one of the 10 most pirated movies at the time.
This helped it find a bigger audience, which then increased the movie’s DVD and Blu-ray sales. No one really knows quite how this all fell into place. It’s not the firstunderrated sci-fi movieto slip through the cracks (see:The Day After Tomorrow). It wouldn’t even be the first to catch a second wind, with cult classics likeThe Rocky Horror Picture Showstill beloved by fans all over the world. But what makesInkstand out?
What Makes Ink Special
It’s simple, actually.Inkhas a heart bigger than its budget that endeared sci-fi movie lovers to its special brand of horror 15 years ago thanks to people sharing it through torrents. In theaters, it had to compete withbig-budget hits likeX-Men Origins: WolverineandStar Trek. Through torrents, however, audiences could reallysit with the characters and appreciate their stories.Inkdidn’t have all the bells and whistles of modern filmmaking technology. It’s just a story about a man who almost loses his daughter, told through the lens of frantic fight scenes and unorthodox sci-fi lore.
John can either choose Emma, or choose his career and suffer the consequences. The Storytellers dress like they’re ready to bust a move while listening to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Ink uses a drum to teleport throughout the alternate dimension he calls home. It’s a little out there in a way that lets audiences know that the creators just wanted to try something different.Ink’s moment in the sun thanks to Torrents might not have resulted in it becoming a commercial success. For a 2009 indie sci-fi movie with a small budget, though, it got a lot further than anyone could’ve expected.
