- Directed by Natalie Erika James
- Written by Natalie Erika James, Christian White
- Stars Robyn Nevin, Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, Steve Rodgers
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 29 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sHbiv7J1xg
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
This was slow and chilling, with a deep sense of dread that lingers through much of it. And some outright horrifying moments. Is it all just a metaphor or is it literal? Some of both? It’s interesting to think about afterward. It’s well made, and we liked it quite a bit.
Synopsis
We open on a flooded bathtub. The water spreads across the floor and down the steps. It eventually spreads to where Edna is standing, naked, in the living room. Credits roll.
Edna’s daughter and granddaughter, Kay and Sam, arrive at the house. The neighbor calls, saying he hasn’t seen the old woman in a few days, so they’re going to check on her. They go inside and find the fruit in the bowl is rotten. They expect to find the old woman dead, but she’s nowhere to be found.
Kay goes to the constable and tells them that her mother is in her 80s and forgets things. Meanwhile, Sam searches the house; her grandmother is quite a hoarder.
Kay and Sam talk about their jobs and mundane stuff. The next day, the police set up search parties to comb the woods for Edna. They don’t find her and make plans to continue the search tomorrow. Jamie comes by that night and talks to Sam about Edna. Kay talks about Edna being worried that someone was coming into her house and moving things around; she dismissed that as an old woman forgetting things.
Sam puts on her grandmother’s sweater and finds a note in the pocket, “Don’t follow it.” Kay finds tapping coming from inside the wall. That night, she dreams of an old man dying alone in a cabin.
The next morning, Sam and Kay wake up to find that Edna’s back in the kitchen, making tea. She’s filthy, but otherwise, doesn’t have much to say. She keeps changing the subject. The doctor looks Edna over and asks about the bruise, but Edna says she must have fallen. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with her. “I suppose I went out.”
Kay knows that Edna’s mind is failing; there are Post-It notes everywhere and the old woman won’t say where she went. Kay shows Sam a drawing of the cabin from her dreams; her grandfather died there; their current house is using some of the same windows. Kay mentions putting Grandma in a home.
Late that night, Kay goes downstairs to see Edna having a conversation with… no one. “It’s here. Under the bed,” Edna says. Kay goes to the nursing home to talk to someone there. Her mother would be in a depressing facility in a depressing room. Back at the house, Sam realizes that Edna does have issues, even if she seems fine most of the time. Sam volunteers to move in with Edna to watch over her, but Kay thinks that’s a bad idea.
Kay dreams about her grandfather’s cabin again. This time, she sees Edna fall over dead and rot from neglect.
Kay later catches Edna trying to eat some old photos. She says she’s afraid of the window in the living room.
Sam asks Jamie’s father why he’s not allowed to visit Edna anymore. She forgot they were playing hide and seek, and she locked him in a closet for hours. Sam checks out that closet and finds a secret room behind it. Turns out, there’s a whole bunch of rooms hidden in there. There’s no way a house that size could have this many secret rooms and hallways. She can’t find her way out but does find many disturbing Post-Its on the walls.
That evening, Kay and Edna have no idea what happened to Sam. Kay sees that the “bruise” on Edna’s chest has gotten much larger. Edna then goes on a rampage, smashing things around the house.
The walls and floors are literally closing in on Sam. She kicks a hole in the wall, which leads to more tiny rooms. Outside, Kay finds the same closet and starts to explore. She finds Edna in there, but Edna is literally falling apart. Kay runs into Sam and warns her that Edna’s not Edna anymore.
Sam breaks a hole in the wall, and everyone gets out, including the Edna-monster. Kay whacks it a couple of times with a lead pipe. Kay remembers her grandfather dying alone and refuses to leave Edna, but she does lock Sam outside.
Kay carries the old woman upstairs to her bedroom. Her skin is peeling off, and Kay rolls some of it back to see what’s underneath. Her hair and scalp peel off next. Kay then peels the rest of her mother. Sam finds a way inside and is shocked at what her grandmother has turned into.
All three generations lay down in the bed, and Sam notices that Kay has a black spot on her back…
Commentary
It’s well-filmed, and the acting is good all around. The house is dark and creepy, but still a modern-ish house. The creature effects don’t come into play until very near the end, but they’re decent.
It’s more metaphor than monster here. As far as I can tell, the point here is that dementia is a disease that eats you up until there’s nothing recognizable left. Places that are very familiar get confusing and start to close in on you. Also, it runs in families, so Kay and eventually Sam are going the same route.
Still, it was pretty entertaining, since you don’t really know what’s going on until it’s done.