Review--Unwelcome (Jon Wright, 2022)

 

After a brutal home invasion, Jamie (Douglas Booth) and Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) move to Ireland

As I'm working on a book on Folk Horror television right now, I'm always eager to watch anything that might be categorized as Folk Horror.  Jon Wright's Unwelcome (2022) is a demented little film that I really enjoyed, as it combines home invasion, folk horror, and creature feature into a fun package.  Yes, I'm "spoiling" the film a bit by highlighting the home invasion in my caption, but this break-in provides the motivation for Maya (the always fabulous Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) to move into his Aunt Maeve's place in rural Ireland.  A helpful neighbor, Neve (Niamh Cusack) impresses on the couple that Maeve practiced "the old ways," and that she left a blood offering for the Redcaps nightly, in order to satisfy their hunger.  When Maya takes this information in, she finds it quaint and rather silly; she's a Londoner, so she has no clue what Irish folklore--and stories of the far darrig--might entail.  Of course, all this "discussion" gets viewers primed for the Redcaps, and inevitably, Maya forgets to put out an offering, so....

 The Whelans at work--Eion (Kristian Narn) and Aisling Whelan (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell) cause trouble

Since Maya and Jamie have a huge hole in their roof, amongst other home repair issues, they hire a local Irish family, The Whelans, to do the repairs.  Led by "Daddy" Whelan (Colm Meaney), this bunch are stereotypically scary country folk who harass the new homeowners at every turn.  This rough bunch come across as shockingly similar to the home invaders that attacked the couple at the film's beginning, and the locals are not fans either.  The Whelans bring the necessary conflict to make the heavily pregnant Maya even more terrified in her new home.  Thus far, the supernatural elements seem less threatening than the Whelans.

Maya lets her curiosity lead her into the land of the fae, behind an ancient wooden door.  Here she finds a mystical forest, and an underground series of tunnels.  She also happens to encounter Eion Whelan (Kristian Narn), an abused son of Daddy, who takes a liking to Maya and her kindness. As soon as spectators think that Maya and Eion are bonding, he takes things too far and Mays screams for help.  Suddenly and brutally, Eion is pulled off of her, and she tears out of there, running in terror back to her home.

              Maya's curiosity compels her to explore what lies behind the old cottage door

Once Jamie returns home, he finds Maya terrified, recounting the story of what happened in the forest beyond the door.  Jamie doesn't believe her, and goes off to the pub, thinking she has "baby brain."  While he's away, she has a visitor.

                                        A Redcap visits Maya while Jamie's away

The film takes a rather drastic tonal shift once we see the Redcaps for the first time, as they are rather hilarious in a Jim Henson kind of way, rather than a terrifying way...until they bring Maya a gift--Eion's head in a plastic bag.  That's around the time when the film goes bananas, and pretty much stays that way until the very end, with gallons of bloodshed, a surprise birth, a trip down to the Redcaps cave, and the anointing of a new leader for the Redcaps to worship and revere.  Makes you want to move to rural  Ireland immediately. NOT.

                                                      Blood rains down on Maya

While Unwelcome hits many familiar notes, it's the Redcaps that keep you glued to Maya and Jamie's struggle.  The film is equal parts menacing and goofy, making for a relatively light-hearted, fun watch in the end.  It's not particular frightening, but horror doesn't always have to be, especially when a film deliberately injects comedy into its veins.  Definitely worth a watch.  Unwelcome is streaming on Shudder right now.

Review--She Said (Maria Schrader, 2022)

 

   Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) expose Weinstein in She Said (2022)

She Said, Maria Schrader's stunning 2022 film is a different kind of horror story.  One with which all women might identify.  Working, living, and loving in U.S. patriarchal society tends to play the horror of sexual harassment, exploitation, loss of bodily autonomy, fear of rape and murder, and other systemic inequalities on an endless loop.  I had heard about this film, and have had the book by the two journalists on my "to be read" pile for quite some time, but I cannot believe I waited so long to see this utterly riveting, powerful film.  Also, the terrific Maria Schrader, director of 2021's I'm Your Man, and star of the incredible Deutschland series ('83, '86, '89, streaming on Hulu), directs some gifted actors in this film--Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton, and Jennifer Ehle, to name a few luminaries.  Even though we know the ending of this tale, which focuses on the explosive publication of the Pulitzer prize winning news story that took down Harvey Weinstein, I think you'll still be compelled by this film's strong storytelling.

      

The film opens with a lovely Irish lass heading over to a film shoot, where they are filming some pirate ship on the water in 1992.  Cut to this young woman running through the streets, crying and holding her clothes close as she tears away from something terrible.  The film comes back to this event later in the narrative's trajectory.  Suddenly we're in 2016, and now New York Times reporter Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) is meeting with a woman who plans to come forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.  As Twohey moves forward with the article's publication, she gets a call from the Orange Blob himself, calling her a "disgusting creature." Another jump in time has this guy winning the U.S. presidency, starting the "nothing matters" era that seems to be the world in which we're living.  Megan's pregnant with her first child--what a world to bring a kid into--and the film shifts momentarily to her eventual partner-in-crime, Jody Kantor (Zoe Kazan), who's chasing a story on sexual harassment and misconduct in Hollywood, zeroing in on another creepy big guy with too much power--Harvey Weinstein.

                     The painful experience of postpartum depression consumes Megan

She Said focuses on women's experience, whether its at home, in marriage, or in the workplace.  I was both surprised and delighted about the integration of Twohey and Kantor's personal lives.  When Megan returns to The New York Times after maternity leave, her boss, Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) comes across as both caring and concerned about Megan's physical and emotional wellbeing.  Her support of both journalists seems a little bit "too positive," regarding The Times' position in all this, but I'm willing to allow for it, considering all the time viewers spend at the NY office.  Jody reaches out to Megan, and here again, their conversation about being a new parent, and what a struggle it is, seems incredibly sensitive.  Likewise, the portrayal of their marriages is also thoughtful, really showing the challenges of creating a work/life balance.  Kudos to them both for finding such supportive partners!

                 Jody (Zoe Kazan) holding another heartbreaking interview with a Weinstein victim

Once Megan signs on to help Jody with the story, the rest of the film consists of the two interviewing woman after woman, trying to get each of them to go on the record about their experience working for or interacting with Weinstein.  Just like the journalists, viewers realize how high the stakes are getting, as well as how terrified the victims are, as these experiences become more and more ubiquitous. (Side note: I was lucky enough to be attending the Sitges Film Festival when the news broke, and "the shitty media men" list was circulating as well.  I said to a fellow critic at lunch that I didn't know if any of this stuff would make a difference.  Little did I know! October 2017 was the beginning of a reckoning that still has legs).  Ashley Judd, as one of the only actresses initially willing to put her name and reputation on the line, cameos as herself in the film.  Weinstein torpedoed her career when she rejected his grabby hands, and it's amazing to see these events retold within this film.

      Zelda Perkins (Samantha Morton) bravely hands over incriminating documents to Jody

The thing that some people do not realize, especially people who have never experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault, is that the experience marks you, stains you, changes you.  Your place in the world feels tenuous and precarious, your worth questionable.  You blame yourself, just as others will assuredly blame you.  She Said not only captures the stories of some of these incredibly brave women coming forward, but also examines the ripple effect that sexual assault creates--everyone whom you confide in or love will likely be touched by these experiences.  These moments do not just "go away", and justice is seldom achieved.  The film keeps ratcheting up the suspense for much of the runtime as repeated women meet with Jody and Megan, but are too afraid to go on record.  That's why when women ] start saying they will come forward, viewers cry the same tears Jody does while watching.  The film is intense, but not in a bad way.

                         Weinstein enters the New York Times offices with his lawyers

By the time Weinstein enters the New York office to confront the journalists crafting the story, with women lawyers to boot, I just wanted him to pay already.  Of course, he denies everything, and bullies Megan as she meets with them, silently listening to their defense, the camera slowly zooming in on her stoic features.  The film emphasizes the team effort it takes to bring this story forward, and the long hours and numerous disappointments that it took to get there.  After reviewing it again and again, the editor of The New York Times performatively presses "publish" onscreen.  The rest we can easily recall.  As just a reminder, in February of 2023, Weinstein would get an additional 16 years added to his 23 year sentence after his trial in Los Angeles.

Thankfully, the film barely shows Weinstein, although his presence looms large.  The film's focus is on Twohey and Kantor, two persistent women journalists who broke a huge story, and pushed a snowball that was big when it started, and is HUGE now as it continues to roll over some of these "shitty men" in its path.  Yet, for all the complaints about "cancel culture," and the fragility of men now in terms of their so-called victimization, plenty of them are not yet canceled--Mel Gibson, Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Louis CK, among others. She Said stands as a testament to what holding men accountable looks like, and we should keep doing it, especially for those who think of themselves as potential leaders for the United States.  The film is a triumph, and is available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription.  I'm excited to see what Schrader does next, and this film should have won a ton of awards and accolades.  Highly recommended.

Review--Consecration--Christopher Smith (2023)

 

As a someone who was raised Catholic, I think almost all religious films, and religions, are scary.  My take is that Catholicism is a cult just like any other, and the Pope and his cadre of guys are the cult's leadership.  I'm also a pretty big fan of Jenna Malone, the star of Christopher Smith's latest horror thriller, Consecration (2023), so ignoring the disappointed and disappointing reviews of the film, I jumped right in.

         Grace (Jenna Malone) is a hardworking ophthalmologist trying to help her patients 

In the first few minutes of Consecration, Grace is walking down a London street when suddenly a nun in a pristine white habit points a gun at her...fade to black.  I like this beginning.  Call me intrigued and ready for more!  Switching to the present day, Grace is meeting with a blind woman and her husband, and suggests that there is a way to bring her sight back.  She then receives a phone call that her brother, a priest named Michael, was involved in what the police believe is a murder/suicide at a Scottish convent.  Grace doesn't believe that Michael could kill someone, let alone himself, and goes to the Mount Savior Convent on the Isle of Skye to investigate.  Cue sweeping vistas and sky-high seaside cliffs, as well as some really lovely drone shots of driving through the scenery.  Stunning.  The film actually reminds me of Mariano Baino's 1993 Nunsploitation shocker Dark Waters, with equally weird and malevolent nuns and just a touch of Folk Horror.  

              Grace sees the body of her brother Michael's body (Steffan Cennydd)

Grace is not buying the story the nuns are giving to the cops, particular DCI Harris (Thoren Ferguson), who is in charge of the investigation.  Why isn't there sand all over him if he died on the beach, she asks.  Well, Mother Superior and her mysterious fellow nuns are definitely hiding something.  Also on the case is Danny Huston's Father Romero, sent by the Vatican to consecrate the church and deal with a missing relic situation.  He appears to be helping Grace, but one scene gives away the game when Grace is not present.  Of course, as a Vatican "enforcer," he's not to be trusted.  He provides Grace with a book in secret code written by her brother--one that only she can read.  Kind of cool.  Lots of religious talk about there being "one true God," etc.  Again, like Dark Waters, viewers are not quite sure what God that might be, since the practices by the nuns are rather strange.  

Upon reading her brother's coded journal, Grace starts to experience a stream of confusing visions and hallucinations.  She has a very strong connection to Michael, in life and death, and not only does his spirit warn her, but she "sees" his torture by a priest and nuns when she touches an area where he has been.  What gradually unfolds is a traumatic past full of religious zealotry, child abuse, and children kept in cages.  Further, when the two children are on the way to being adopted after their mother's death by their father, a priest boots little Michael out of the vehicle and tries to chloroform Grace.  Things do not go well.  She also has strange flashbacks to experiences a century ago, where she's a little girl wearing a weird mask, and worshipping some deity above.  Definitely some folk horror practices going on.  Time bounces back and forth without clear boundaries, as Grace seems to see things from the past and the future.  No wonder in adulthood, Grace turned to science, while Michael fell deeper into religion.  Now, it seems there's a reckoning, as Grace investigates the secrets the convent is hiding, and how they connect to a traumatic past she is eager to forget.

                  Mother Superior (Janet Suzman) believes that the "relic" is Grace herself

Throughout the film, Grace is progressively stripped of her independence, as the convent places more and more restrictions upon her.  Also, nuns seem to end up dying right and left, by their own hand.  One minute they are brandishing a scary knife.  The next, they are dead.  Grace becomes more and more frightened as she watches these "murders" unfold, and the cops are highly interested in her.  Strangely, DCI Harris, when faced with these strange occurrences, steadfastly thinks it's all hooey.  Despite the occasional moment with another character, for expositional purposes, viewers are never far from Grace's side, and we are consistently meant to identify with her as she investigates these mysteries.

                         Grace begs Father Romero for help, surrounded by nuns

One of the penultimate showdowns between Grace and this cult is quite a spectacle, and the choreography of their religious rituals is definitely one of the visual highlights of the film.  Father Romero keeps saying "my child" to Grace in the most disingenuous way, but based laid cult plans!  I have to say, when viewers start to get answers to what's going on, I thought, "Oh. That's really dumb." Yet, you cannot just accept the film's "conclusion" at face value, because there are two, count them, two explanatory codas, that make spectators question everything that came before.  Like his previous film, Triangle, Consecration is certainly twisty, with some last minute reveals that sometimes hit and miss. Still, the nun with a gun comes back, and the very last death in the film is kind of great.  Sure, the death is a little cliché, but for me, that particular jump scare never gets old.  Consecration is not a great film, but it's pleasantly watchable, with a good performance by Jenna Malone, and a bunch of creepy nuns.  If you find religion terrifying, this film will hit some of your sweet spots.  It's streaming now on AMC+.

Review: The Invitation (Jessica M. Thompson, 2022)

 

         Walt (Tom Doherty), and Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) are dreamy in The Invitation  (2022)

Jessica M. Thompson has crafted a really fun gothic Vampire romance in her film The Invitation (2022), and I'm actually really surprised that the film has received so many milquetoast reviews, although I do agree with two complaints: the trailer gives the film away, and it's just not very scary.  Neither of these issues is a deal breaker, and as a critic who hungrily devours trailers, I knew what I was in for.  Further, while the film isn't a jump scare gore fest, I find bullying, microaggressions, and full-throttle gaslighting pretty scary, so if viewers identify with Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel), the film definitely has its share of terrors, albeit more psychological than visceral.  Most importantly, in a genre dominated by white women, The Invitation stars a BIPOC woman, who is savvy, funny, and heroic!  Yes!

Evie and her fabulous bestie, Grace (Courtney Taylor) are dodging grabby hands as they cater a posh event.  Evie tries to make ends meet while pursuing artistic work as a ceramicist.  Just keep in mind that this film is all about fantasy, so no need to question why she has a ridiculously amazing apartment--just go with it.  Evie's an orphan, and her Mom, to whom she was close, passed away recently, so when she discovers a DNA kit in the swag bag she snagged from the event, she decides to give it a try.  Why not.  She soon discovers that she has family, and that she's a cousin of the incredibly posh Alexander family, who reside across the pond in London.  Conveniently, her cousin Oliver is in New York on business, and asks if they can meet up.  Over dinner, he invites her to a family wedding in London, in order for her to meet her new family, who are eager to welcome her into the fold.  Noteworthy point: the Alexanders are white, and her line on the family tree is connected to her great grandmother's dalliance with a black footman.  This plot point is also patently ridiculous, but Oliver offers a free trip to London, so Evie decides to--just go with it.

    Evie meets the "lord" of New Carfax Abbey, Walter DeVille--he immediately seems very interested

She observes some staff showing up, and accidentally bumps into a young woman carrying a tray of glasses.  Blam!!  There's a mess, she's apologizing, and Mr. DeVille's butler (Renfield) mistakes her for the help until Walter sets him straight.  The first hour of this film is just gorgeous set piece after gorgeous set piece as Evie gets seduced and charmed by Walter--spoilers, you know he's a vampire, as the film reveals "someone" feeding on the help in the dark.  Sending a maid to get a specific bottle of wine is clearly the mark of death in this film, and if anyone gets out of line, to the cellar they go, or the library, or wherever else Walter is hanging out, alone and hungry.  Interspersed with these moments are Evie's interactions with Walter, her extended family, the Alexanders, and then two other families that have shown up for the wedding.  They have rehearsal dinners, and soirees with fireworks, and each time, Walter gives Evie an absolutely beautiful dress to wear to every function.  As fantasies go, this film has it all--a dishy heartthrob suitor who is fabulously wealthy and absolutely fascinated with Evie.  Grace, whom Evie checks in with daily because "cell phones," is pretty supportive about this

potential Mr. Right, but the fact that Evie's the ONLY POC in the whole film is impossible to ignore.

                Lucy (Alana Boden) is definitely the sweeter of the two other brides (of Dracula)

I really appreciate how The Invitation gives a decent backstory to Dracula's brides, and what their origin story might be.  We meet Lucy (Alana Boden) and Vicktoria (Stephanie Cornieliussen) when they show up for the the wedding festivities.  Viktoria is not pleased by Evie capturing Walt's attention; Lucy is just eager to have a "sister" in the family.  While the film is not explicit, its pretty clear that Lucy and Viktoria are Walt's brides, women from two families to which Walt offers protection, power, and eternal life.  The film opens with the Alexander bride killing herself rather than continuing to live...like a vampire, I guess.  So Oliver sets his sites on Evie as soon as the DNA test results prove a match, however mixed race Evie is.  For vampires, the blood, and the blood line, is what ultimately matters.

                                        Evie is not a happy bride on her special day

When Evie realizes what is in store, and that the wedding is actually hers, she looks pretty disturbed and shocked.  She goes along with it all to a point, but the bloodletting/wedding ceremony is where things go wrong for Walter and his minions, all wearing weird animal masks because???  Some stuff seems to be throwing spaghetti at a wall, but quite a bit does stick.  I found the ending satisfying, but a bit abrupt, with several potential storylines unexplored.  Look for a shout out to Mina and Jonathan Harker, and be prepared to identify with Evie, but know quite a bit more than she does through the whole film.  The Invitation is currently streaming on Netflix, and definitely worth it if you like old school gothic flair.

Review: Influencer (Kurtis David Harder, 2022)

       Madison (Emily Tennant) never has her phone far away in Influencer (Kurtis David Harder, 2022)

I've never been to Thailand, but Influencer (2022) definitely made this beautiful place seem extremely tempting.  Bangkok streets, winding roads, jungle, and deserted beaches glimmer under the sun in this well-crafted and sumptuous film.  Pre-credits sequence, viewers get a hint of what's to come, as the camera zooms overhead, supplying viewers with an aerial image of a body, seemingly female (but it's ambiguous) lying face first on a deserted beach.  With that little teaser, the film cuts to Madison (Emily Tennant) as a young woman "influencer" on a trip to Thailand, recording every moment with selfies, and video streams of her adventures.  She seems to be on her own, as her boyfriend Ryan has ditched her at the last minute.  She's lonely and a little bit bored, filling her time with getting her picture taken at local hotspots, and recording testimonials for products she's compelled to shill.   

Still, the places at which she stays are gorgeous--truly gorgeous!  The hotel she stays at is luxurious and appears to provide every possible comfort.  An apartment that she rents is a modernist showpiece, perched on a hill with its own infinity pool.  The film implies that she is making bank as an influencer, but in some ways, her lifestyle seems hollow.  Pretty on the outside, by but empty and shallow on the inside.  At one point, she gets hit on by an older gentleman at the hotel bar.  He seems relatively harmless, but still annoying, and when another young woman staying at the hotel watches her exchange, she quickly asks Madison if she feels like "a walk"--promptly rescuing her from the older man's attentions.  Madison's savior is CW, a sultry brunette who carries herself with ease around Thailand; a birthmark under her right eye only enhances her unique beauty.  CW (Cassandra Naud) and Madison quickly become inseparable, and when Madison's hotel room is broken into, her passport and identification stolen, CW quickly takes the impressionable influencer under her wing.

                            CW (Cassandra Naud) is the main reason to watch Influencer

While Emily Tennant's Madison does a commendable job bringing viewers into the story, Naud's CW is what kept me riveted to the film's last moments.  Things might get a little spoiler-y from here on out...just a warning. Rooting for the villain in a horror film is not really groundbreaking, as the love of Freddie, Jason, and Michael Myers suggests, and enjoying the demise of really unlikeable characters is often par for the course.  One of my favorite villain-loving films is Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Scott Glosserman's 2006 slasher satire focusing on rising slasher-in-the-making Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel).  Baesel makes this deadly killer so unfailingly likeable, that you want him to get away with everything!!  If you haven't seen the film, Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger) plays wonderfully against type as the "Ahab" chasing Vernon's whale.  Delightful.  Cassandra Naud's CW is equally entrancing, and as the film shifts to following her character, I weirdly did not find her as morally questionable as I should.

A couple of highlights the film brings to the fore: CW quickly encounters a new influencer, Jessica (Sara Canning), who is a little less trusting than Madison; and Ryan (Rory J. Saper), Madison's a-hole boyfriend, makes a surprise visit, looking to hook up with his cash cow, as Madison's "influencing" is something he "manages" for her.  Eye roll.  Heavy sigh.  CW handles these two with aplomb, involving a stiletto heel and a small motorboat.  Let me leave it at that...Honestly, I could have watched CW wandering around Thailand for another hour.  

                                           Madison and CW take a trip to a deserted island

As the film draws to a close, I was really worried as to how Harder was going to end things.  I could think of a couple of really lame endings immediately.  While I wouldn't say that the film's conclusion is wildly unpredictable, I do think it's pretty satisfying, and even draws a smile from CW in the end.  Influencer is streaming now on Shudder in the U.S.  I highly recommend it!

Review: My Best Friend's Exorcism (Damon Thomas, 2022)

                               My Best Friend's Exorcism's Girl Squad  (Damon Thomas, 2022)
 

I'm not immune to the plethora of horror film texts these days that look to the decade where I came of age--the 80s--with cultural nostalgia.  For me, it's largely the needle drops, for my tastes were formed by postpunk and new wave music from that period.  Likewise, I'm drawn to horror centering on women protagonists, so Damon Thomas's recent adaptation of Grady Hendrix's novel, My Best Friend's Exorcism, hits many of the marks.  The film zeroes in on Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller), best friends in the emotional hellscape of high school, who along with their two buds, Margaret (Rachel Ogechi Kanu) and Glee (Cathy Ang), head to a girl's night of fun at Margaret's parents' summer cabin-in-the-woods.  Of course, the girls decide to pull out the Ouija board and see if any spirits are around, but initially their only surprise visitor is Margaret's crass and excessively horny boyfriend, Wallace (Clayton Johnson).  Oh, and the 5 of them decide to take LSD--although it never actually appears to work.  Abby and Gretchen decide to check out an abandoned and supposedly haunted house in the woods, because 80s horror film vibes, but are soon separated by a presence mimicking their voices and leading them astray.  I'm not giving too much away to say that something strange happens to Gretchen.

                                  Abby and Gretchen's charming (and queer leaning) friendship

While I'm sure viewers will read My Best Friend's Exorcism anyway they want, I could not help but be charmed by how adorably queer Abby and Gretchen are--even while trying to fit in to the requirements of girlhood circa 1988.  I mean, they both want to "marry" Boy George, for goodness sake, but Abby kindly is willing to relinquish The Culture Club lead singer to Gretchen, as long as she can just live with them both.  Their friendship has a heartbreaking time limit though, for Gretchen is moving two states away with her snobby Christian parents.  This note of melancholy hovers over the entire film as Abby tries desperately to help Gretchen at every turn.  Meanwhile, Gretchen's transformation through possession hits very few original notes.  She basically becomes a mean girl to all of her friends, and hurts them in a variety of personal and creative ways.  What happens to Margaret is the most disturbing, and gets some good gross-out moments into the film.

                                      The Lemon Brothers perform for their High School

I keep telling other people that have lived through the 80s, that culturally, in many ways, we're right back to where we started.  Fear of nuclear annihilation because of Russian aggression?  Check.  Prejudice and hatred toward gender fluidity and non-normative gender performance?  Check.  The rise of the religious right and their endless culture war?  Check.  Fierce fighting over women's bodies and reproductive health?  Check, Check, Check!!!  Yet, My Best Friend's Exorcism's approach to Evangelical Christianity is relatively gentle and amused in its critique, especially when it comes to The Lemon Brothers and their zeal for Jesus.  Unsurprisingly, they are hired to "perform" their literal song and dance at the private religious school to which Gretchen, Abby, Margaret, and Glee attend, espousing the pleasures of "faith" and "fitness." The Brothers are a trio of Himbos that run around, lift weights, and shout about religion with delight.  Yet, when Christian spots the sulking Gretchen in the crowd, his face turns from pleasure to horror, as he seemingly witnesses something lurking in her depths.  Since he possesses "the sight," when Abby searches him out after employing every other avenue to help her best friend, he tells her of the demon within.  The pair decide to go back to Margaret's parents' cabin and perform an exorcism.

            It's not an exorcism film without some gratuitous backbends and body mortification

Once the exorcism is underway, the focus on Abby and Gretchen's friendship veers a bit, as Christian's humorous approach to exorcising demons takes center stage.  Of course, when things get messy, he freaks out and runs away, leaving Abby to her inevitable standoff with the demon.  Then....things just kind of end.  Full disclosure, the last half hour of the film gets tedious, and you'll want to stick around to find out what happens, but there are no shocks or twists involved. While the film is a fun riff on Heathers with exorcisms, unless you're plugged into the 80s nostalgia train, and willing to take that ride, the film is not very groundbreaking.  Still, it's fun, and streaming on Amazon Prime.

Review: Soft and Quiet--Beth de Araújo (2022)

 

Ringleader "Karen" Emily (Stefanie Estes) from Soft and Quiet  (2022)

I've eagerly followed Beth de Araújo's Soft and Quiet ever since it premiered at SXSW, but had not had the chance to see it before, as it's just emerged onto Netflix recently.  The film primarily follows Emily (Stefanie Estes), a Gwyneth Paltrow-looking woman and kindergarten teacher, meeting up with some like-minded women after what appears to be a typical school day.  Yes, I had read about the film, so I knew that "like-minded" equated with "Nazis," but I still did not understand for what I had signed up.  Emily cries heartfelt tears in the bathroom as she eyes a pregnancy test.  Is it positive or negative?  Turns out that Emily is not becoming a mother today, something she desperately wants to experience, and as the film unfolds, this viewer felt pretty damn glad about it.

The camera stays close to Emily as it follows her out of the bathroom to a sidewalk, where she sees one of her pupils waiting for his mom. The first hint of horror occurs as a Hispanic female custodian loudly pushes a cart past Emily and the boy, blocking out any conversation they may be having.  The booming sound of the wheels on the pavement, and the blank look on the custodian's face as she goes about her work, highlight the mundane qualities of the job.  Yet, Emily seems inordinately disturbed by the woman's presence, and convinces young Brian to confront the custodian, and demand that she not mop the floors until all the students have left school.  Once Brian's mom shows up, Emily leaves with a pastry box in hand, walking on a winding journey through the woods, ultimately arriving at a local church, where a group of women, friends old and new, are meeting.  Only when Emily opens the box on her homemade pie do we get our first clue--there's a swastika carved into the top, and everyone chuckles.  "It's just a joke," replies Emily, but it's anything but.

This group of white women start to air their grievances regarding the world in which we all live, although their discussion is littered with racial slurs as they lay their victim cards one-by-one.  Marjorie complains that she was passed over for a promotion for a "brown" woman, and dismisses her boss's reasoning--that she does not have the proper "leadership skills."  Jessica, a mother of four with another on the way, talks about her generational membership with the Klan, and that she's now more invested in "Stormfront." Kim wants to put her journalism degree to work by creating a newsletter full of white supremacist talking points.  Alice eagerly takes notes for the group, and Leslie, the youngest and newest member of this coffee klatch, misses being told what to do--much like what she experienced when under the protection of a white nationalist group during her time in prison.  All of these women seem incredibly "normal" on a surface level, but this meeting of the "Daughters for Aryan Unity" is much more than your average suburban book club.  They each, in turn, complain about the insidious spread of multiculturalism, but understand that they must approach distributing their ideas to the mainstream in a more careful way.  Ergo, the title, Soft and Quiet. Emily and her band of bigots are neither.

                                    a confrontation at Kim's market sets the group off

Let me be clear: this film will make anyone with empathy or a conscience incredibly uncomfortable, as it should.  The film is shot in what appears, through the magic of invisible editing, as a 91 minute long take, with events unfolding in real time.  This technique creates some really effective discomfort and dread, for even if viewers think the "Mothers for Aryan Unity," are ignorant, bigoted, awful people, Araújo and her DP, Greta Zozula, never turn away from remaining close-up and tight with these women.  However "soft and quiet" they may appear on the outside, their inner rage is just waiting to find an outlet--a bitter cauldron of resentment and entitlement that gets unleashed on two unsuspecting mixed-race sisters, Anne and Lily.

Significantly, the aggressions that Emily and her gang release onto unsuspecting women are entirely Macro, not Micro.  Anne and Lily unfortunately stop by Kim's market for a bottle of wine while Emily, Marjorie, Leslie, and Kim are also there to do the same.  Tensions escalate quickly, as the women surround the sisters, harassing them verbally and blocking their exit.  They are just about to make it out the door, when Emily turns on them, riling up the other women into a frenzy.  You know things are bad when Emily's husband, Craig, is the level-headed one who tries to calm everyone down.  I won't give it away, but Anne and Emily share a history, and that connection in some ways motivates the women to participate in a petty revenge scheme.  Craig comes along after Emily uses a variety of gay slurs, and makes some serious emasculating comments that would make Tucker Carlson proud.

                                    Emily fights for control with Leslie (Olivia Luccardi)

The rest of the film follows Emily and her gang of angry "Karens" as they decide that a home invasion is the proper next step to take, wanting to mess up Anne and Lily's home.  Marjorie and Leslie repeatedly express envy and disgust that the two women live better than they do, and how their comforts are "unfair"--presumably because they are not white, and therefore revel in a host of multicultural perks and privileges.  I have to give props to Olivia Luccardi as Leslie.  While she initially seems like a woman willing to do anything in order to be accepted by the group, Leslie eventually gives viewers plenty to consider regarding her time in prison, and why she might have been in there.  She is the chief catalyst in escalating events an inflaming mob violence.  Initially, she just seems like a puppy, eager to please and join in the fun, but Leslie has a deep, deep axe to grind--and she possesses an intensely fierce loyalty towards the women she ostensibly just met.  When Anne and Lily return home a moment too soon, all hell breaks loose.  Even cool and collected Emily tearfully apologizes to Leslie several times during the violence unfolding at the house, as she's clearly terrified of Leslie's rage and aggression turning on her.  Leslie spends the rest of the film screaming at everybody, even when she's constantly told to be quiet.

Araújo and Zozula are careful to capture the frenzy of the women as things go increasingly out of control.  While most of the physical violence is offscreen, the implied acts perpetrated on these women of color are incredibly horrifying; yet we are forced to stay with these vicious women until the bitter end.  In many ways, the film reminds me of Sebastian Schipper's Victoria (2015), for as spectators we helplessly witness these women making terrible choices.  I found myself siding with Craig, for he gets out before things go from very bad to even worse.  Nevertheless, Soft and Quiet contains a moment at the very, very end that is oh, so satisfying.  You do have to sit through all the other stuff to get to it, but I think it's a pretty brilliant way to end this truly disturbing film.  A must-see on Netflix right now.