Relic

Directed by Natalie Erika James, Relic follows Emily Mortimer’s Kay as she and her daughter (Bella Heathcote’s Sam) travel to their remote family home after matriarch Edna (Robyn Nevin) goes missing. It’s a simple premise that is, for the most part, employed to creepy and increasingly engrossing effect by James, as the first-time filmmaker, working from a script written with Christian White, delivers a deliberately-paced yet exceedingly tense piece of work that benefits substantially from the top-tier efforts of its three central performers – with the sporadically captivating vibe certainly perpetuated and heightened by James’ often stunning directorial choices. (Brian Reitzell’s intense, unsettling score and Charlie Sarroff’s moody visuals go a long way towards enhancing the literally-and-figuratively dark atmosphere.) And although the movie admittedly does suffer from a small handful of lulls, Relic does, generally speaking, contain an unbearably discomfiting feel that proves difficult to resist and compensates for its few missteps. The comparatively eventful third provides a handful of welcome shocks, to be sure, but it’s rather distressing (and disappointing) to note that the picture closes on a less-than-subtle, underwhelming note (ie James’ allegorical approach to the material becomes far too literal to make the haunting, emotional impact for which she’s obviously striving) – which ultimately does cement Relic‘s place as a strong (if erratic) first feature from a seriously promising new genre filmmaker.

*** out of ****

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