In another standout film from the Sundance Film Festival horror show, we travel back in time to discover the world’s scariest fairies.
After watching enough horror movies, it takes time to figure it out. They can fall into familiar patterns, and even competently crafted are doomed by how derivative they are. infinity pool or meaty fun Birth/RebirthI’m glad you like another festival film In My Mother’s Skin can It draws you into its own dark world.Writer-director’s vivid vision of historical and mythical horrors Kenneth Dagatanit weaves all these elements together, and when you take in all its depraved details, it feels uniquely unsettling. Guillermo del ToroWhen devil’s spine Feeling like an important reference point, it dives headfirst into a series of gruesome encounters that tear you apart to leave a bloody impression all on its own.
The film brings a desolate world to life that has been filtered almost entirely through the perspective of a young girl named Tara.fantastic performance Felicity Kyle Napri In her feature debut, she lives in a secluded mansion in the Philippines in 1945 as World War II draws to a close. This doesn’t mean much to her and her family. Their wealth may have provided them with initial protection, but the occupation of their island still upends their lives. Leaving her with her uncertain mother and siblings, she has to deal with a disease that plagues her home and everyone in it. Needing some help, she discovers a forest-dwelling fairy calling for her help. When Tara accepted this offer, she unwittingly let in something far more destructive than she or her family could have imagined.
As far as the plot’s exact plot, knowing little about the exact nature of this destruction keeps the experience perfectly weighted. After that, acting on the fairy’s advice to do what she thinks is saving her, she’ll do infinitely worse things. The deception stacked with the body has a greater impact when juxtaposed with the ornate designs and costumes of the lit-up fairies. It’s a work of horror lore that doesn’t focus on its expression, even though the song is played frequently.The euphoria of every aspect of the world is such that even when characters start screaming, they all sing. Ross Espooky, is alluring and eerie in the best of ways.long time performer Jasmine Curtis-Smith This magical being is imbued with details that are almost hypnotic, making us fully believe that Tara will be caught in her hands.
There’s just the right level of melancholy in how you catch tiny hints of real-life upheaval unfolding alongside the supernatural while all this is going on. A particular conversation between a man she hopes will help her find a patriarch is something deeper when she states, “Our country is what it is now thanks to a promise.” It’s a simple statement that they’re all rife with devastating tragedy even more by the additional following lines: “We’re the only ones here” and “No one will help us.” This increases the risk and reminds children of the horrors that lurk beyond their sight. A light touch establishes all of this, keeping terror central to the experience, but invites a bit more in-depth reading as to what really causes their conflict. Similarly, her father puts all his hopes on those who would kill him and his family without a second thought. The tragedy comes from their belief that this is the only option that will only make their suffering worse. The bloody opening scene reveals the truth about the fairies’ “gift” to us as spectators. This becomes even scarier when Tara fatefully accepts it.
Then, when it all begins, nothing is hindered as the house is consumed completely and utterly by forces beyond the family’s control. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, something terrifying appears on the screen that pulls you back into the darkness. All of these images permeate your mind with Dagatan bringing the patience needed for every moment of madness. It’s not for the faint of heart, but you can’t have a terrifying nightmare like this. Some of the final shots of drifting into the woods again are absolute perfection, reminding us that all these characters are truly lonely. Even as they seize salvation, they only retreat further, their bloodied hands unable to even hold the already painful life they once spent together. descent to In My Mother’s Skin A beautifully brutal historical horror film with heart-touching visuals.
evaluation: B+
In My Mother’s Skin Debuts at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
