Rating: 4/5
Hooptober 5.0 | 26/32 | Woman-Directed 2/2
Elias and Lukas, twin ten-year-old boys, explore and play hide-and-seek. Lukas comes to a cave that appears pitch black. The sound of buzzing flies greets him as they enter the darkness.
A car drops off their mother, who has returned from a cosmetic surgery. They find her in the bedroom. Bandages encompass her head, with holes around her eyes and her mouth. In the darkness, the holes create a sinister smile. Below her eyes are heavy bruises.
Their mother insists that the blinds stay closed during the day. She ignores Lukas and only gives Elias any attention — she only cooks for Elias or gives him anything to drink. She enforces the house must remain silent. They can only play outside — even if it’s playing video games. If they disobey, she assaults Elias.
Elias and Lukas suspect that this is not their mother.
The house has several unusual characteristics. Several rooms have enlarged photos of blurry women — perhaps the mother. Alcoves on the wall have elongated figurines, like sketches done for fashion pieces. Below the house is an endless supply of cockroaches and human bones.
The film explores a genuine feeling from childhood, where parents change and they become unrecognizable.
I grew up with an inconsistent mother. It felt like a different mom would come home some days. I felt like I was going crazy when she would punish me for no obvious reason at random times.
It didn’t matter whether she was my mom — I didn’t feel safe in her presence.
The movie is a slow burn and long for its simple premise, but it develops, and the dynamics change. It also gets fucked. There’s some mouth trauma that has me squirming in my seat.
This movie hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. My score may be higher than your expectations.