Rating: 3.5/5
A mumblecore-grade horror anthology where small-town stories unfold piece-by-piece. Each section focuses on someone carrying pain and watches them spiral
Though most of the secondary and background performances are pretty meh, the leads of each story do much better
Overall, this a depressing and quietly horrifying collection of stories, each with bizarre and human details that feel unique
Subject One: Ellie ***.5
Ellie (Darcy Miller) is a high school student on a self-destructive path. We watch her make what seem to be first-time choices before going to a youth group
Darcy Miller gives an unusual performance that I find unrecognizable but still natural (if that makes sense).
Subject Two: The Family Rubin ***
A family goes to temple, Rachel (Maren Perry) focusing on her makeup before going, Noah (Albie Selznick) seething as she smiles at Benjamin (Peter Ganim), whom she’s been seeing on the side for a long time. The son keeps mice, but we see some bloody ones in a jar
I hate what they ask the kid actor to do in this — it’s so fucked up and underserves Noah and Rachel’s story
Subject Three: Elmer & Iris ***.5
Iris (Alice Cannon) is fired from her job for being unable to keep up with technological advances, but she carries a cheery spirit. Her husband, Elmer (Erik Frandsen), seems miserable but keeps it to himself. The following morning, she wakes up to him dead on the couch
This one made me nauseous — I guess they were proud of the effects, but they didn’t need to go so hard