LFO

Robert has an unusual ailment. He’s allergic to music. Hiding from his domineering wife, he huddles in his basement over a series of mysterious synthesizers, seeking a cure for his bizarre allergen. Late one night he stumbles upon a remarkable discovery: a low-frequency oscillation (LFO) signal that lends itself to an intense form of hypnosis. It doesn’t take him long to realize that he can make anyone do anything he wants. He sets his sights on the new next-door neighbors: an amiable beauty named Linn and her slimy husband Simon. Thus begins a series of increasingly perverse manipulations of the young newlyweds that leaves Robert plummeting from reality. Antonio Tublén’s razor-sharp LFO is a fun, freaky descent into the depths of the human psyche, told through mind-bending twists mixed with jet-black humor. By the time Robert reaches his absurd, maniacal grand vision, he’s become a swinging pendulum, hypnotizing us to the screen. (In Swedish with subtitles) —C.P.