Origins of the Heir Fan Made Continue

It's no secret that I generally have little patience with fanfiction in its various forms. Though I know that some fanfiction is not bad, and some is even pretty good, I am generally turned off by the fact that so much of it is bad for so many reasons: poor artistic and grammar skills, juvenile wish-fulfillment that is not appropriate for a public readership, failure to understand or respect the author's original vision, and an appalling amount of outright pornography and other filth.  Thus, it always a delight when I see "fan-made" work that impresses both with its technical accomplishments and faithfulness to the work from which it springs. This week, an Italian filmmaking team, Tryangle, released their film Voldemort: Origins of the Heir on youtube. It's really quite an accomplishment, as demonstrated by the fact that it garnered 4 million views in its first 24 hours online. I do have a few quibbles, of course, but also some kudos, and a few questions (Yes, alliteration is fun. No, there just are not enough words in English that begin with "q").

In case you have not checked it out yet, Tryangle's Voldemort: Origins of the Heir seeks to explain more about the path followed by He Who Must Not Be Named, as he pursued both his heritage and his Horcruxes. Woven through this story is his relationship with three other students, each an heir of one of the Hogwarts founders.

Quibbles

We'll get these out of the way first, and move on to more positive points.  While several of the Questions, below, may also be criticisms, these are the issues that can be considered actual problems with the film.

1. Something lost in translation. As one can tell by the names of the cast and crew, the film is an Italian production. The version on youtube does have some dubbing issues. If an Italian version, with English subtitles, is available, it would be less distracting than the disconnect with the visual and sound. Language issues may also account for some of the odd diction and name choices. One of the Soviet Aurors is named Igor, which is confusing. Is he supposed to be Karkaroff? That doesn't seem to fit. Are we supposed to be thinking of old Frankenstein movies? The Heir of Hufflepuff is named Lazarus Smith, and while that connects him with batty old Hepzibah, it is also confusing, as the poor fellow is clearly doomed early on, and he apparently stays dead. While Grisha's name is obviously to echo her ancestor's Gryffindor, the same effect does not occur with Lazarus or with Wiglaf, heir of Ravenclaw, at least not in English.
2. Extreme Close-up. A trend in the film is using extreme close-ups, often of eyes, as if the characters are somehow trying to force feelings out through their pupils. Though it is a little less distracting than people's mouths moving at a different time than we are hearing their words. It's still kind of a strange effect that does not always work.
3. Splitting Heirs? Unfortunately, one of my biggest quibbles with the film is intrinsic to its very nature: Voldemort's identity as the Heir of Slytherin. While it's interesting to imagine a club of Founders' descendants (sort of like a combination of the DAR and the Marauders), it does not fit the story we know, with its cloak of secrecy around the Heir's identity. Voldemort in the film appears to be quite sure and quite public about his identity as Slytherin's heir, which makes us wonder if the other Heirs, who seem to be decent sorts, know about the Chamber of Secrets and that their pal Tom killed Moaning Myrtle with the basilisk.  Though Slughorn's memory shows us that Riddle had his little club of nascent Death Eaters, it seems unlikely that he would have another club, including a member of each house, and that he would have told them his identity as the heir. Even if he was only manipulating them to collect their family heirlooms, and even if he planned to kill them eventually, the notoriously secretive Voldemort seems to have been uncharacteristically open with his fellow Heirs.

Kudos

Even though there are certainly some issues with the film, there are also some aspects that are certainly praise-worthy

1. Eye Candy.Despite a few odd moments, the film is visually amazing. From wonderful location shots that evoke the best sites used to shoot the Hollywood adaptations of the books, to impressive Apparition effects, Origins of the Heir often looks like a professional film. The technology that is available to so-called "amateurs" these days does allow for the creation of great independent films (check out one of my favorite short films, Others Will Follow, that was made on a shoestring, by an "amateur," and rivals some big blockbusters in both visuals and emotional heft). Overall, Origins is a stunning visual experience.
2. Surprise! We've all come to expect catchy twists at the ends of Rowling's stories, and the film team follows suit with a wonderfully twisty, snaky little plot that has fangs at the end. It's a creative story that demonstrates genuine artistry as well as faithful (mostly) interest in the text. It's good storytelling and, even when I saw where it was going, I really appreciated the clever narrative construction.
3. Missing pieces. In addition to elements that are completely original, the filmmakers have brought in pieces from the books that never made it to the movie adaptations. Though layered with an intriguing new context, Riddle's manipulation and murder of Hepzibah Smith is textually faithful and much more detailed than the drive-by shooting version we got in the full-length film.

Questions

Rather than actual problems with the film, these are just questions that I was not sure the filmmakers had addressed sufficiently, and which sometimes take the viewer out of the experience of watching it.

1. Need to Know.Would Voldemort have told anyone he was making Horcruxes? In the film, the Horcruxes are discussed at length, and even though Voldemort plans to kill those he tells of his plans, considering his efforts to conceal and protect the Horcruxes, it seems unlikely, even under the circumstances.
2. Truth or Dare.Does the Veritaserum work or not? This question ties into my first one, and I also wonder about the intravenous administration, though it is visually interesting, and the flask used in some of those scenes appropriately evokes thoughts of Mad-Eye Moody.
3. Kiss and Makeup?Why does Wiglaf look like his night job is on Game of Thrones? Is that eyeliner some sort of tribute to Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow (Grindelwald does get a mention)?  He doesn't look like a Ravenclaw so much as like a wannabe rock-star or circus performer. I don't get it.

I am, overall, quite impressed with the work of these filmmakers, and I hope they a) don't get sued  and b) continue to grow as artists and successfully develop their craft.

I hope that if you have watched the film (and it's shorter than a full-length film, only about an hour, so not even a huge investment of your time, like a few movies that frustrated me because I could never regain the two hours I spent on them) that you will offer your thoughts and comments as well.

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Source: https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/fan-made-voldemort-origins-of-the-heir-a-dazzling-surprise/

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