Relic, the newly released Australian film from IFC Midnight, features Kay and Sam, a mother/daughter combo that venture to Kay’s mother (Edna)’s deteriorating home to find that she’s been missing for several days. After searching the house and premises and finding clues to show Edna’s dementia has been worsening, Edna shows back up the next morning covered in dirt and grime but acts like nothing ever happened. Kay and Sam have differing opinions of how Edna is progressing, all while a spooky presence in the house seems to be causing nightmares for Kay, and taking advantage of Edna’s condition, causing it to rapidly decline.
The film is the directorial and writing debut on a feature film for Natalie Erika James after doing some crew work on Upgrade and writing/directing several shorts (Drum Wave, Burrow). The cast is narrowed down to criminally underrated actor Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, who you may remember from The Matrix Films, and Bella Heathcote (The Neon Demon, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies). All of them are great at their craft, so it’s not surprising that the acting chemistry is so strong in this film. All three of their roles have different personalities that bounce off one another seamlessly. Kay is uninvolved and busy. Sam is present and caring. Edna is cold and shut off.
RELATED: Scream Factory 16-Disc ‘Friday the 13th’ Blu-ray Collection Available for Pre-Order
Without going too far into the story specifics, it becomes obvious off the bat that this is a metaphorical horror film. Sometimes metaphorical horror works, sometimes it doesn’t. Often it is subjective to the audience. James made an extremely smart choice when choosing a degenerative brain disease as a metaphor for the film. Most people I’ve met have been severely affected by one in some way, whether it be through personal experience, a grandparent, parent or other close relative. Brain degeneration often causes the person to not remember who they are, or what they’ve experienced, effectively turning them into someone, or in the metaphorical sense here, something else. Dementia is a horrifying disease and it seems to fit perfectly with the horror genre. When a person seems to become someone else entirely, aren’t they essentially possessed? We basically already have an entire sub-genre of horror for this. Again, smart move. Kudos.
The camera work was mostly good. Things got a little too dark during important moments closer to the end of the film. The house set provided an eerie atmosphere and long flowing shots in small enclosed spaces added to the claustrophobic feelings and creep-factor. The small amount of special effects used were spot-on creepy makeup and costume work.
RELATED: Review: ‘In Search of Darkness: A Journey into Iconic ’80s Horror’
The slow burn sub-genre of horror seems to be ever-growing and I’ve noticed that the longer films (2+ hours) have a habit of delivering stronger, more effective endings than the shorter ones (90 mins and under). Relic clocks in at 1:29 and doesn’t really get going until there’s about 10-15 minutes left in the movie. With that being said, the ending delivers some extremely intense moments, fantastic angles and camera work, and finishes up with a beautiful and heartbreaking message. I won’t spoil it for you, but anyone who has ever been in the presence of sickness will understand it.
Overall, I think the film came out nicely, especially for a debut. I love seeing women taking predominant roles in horror (hello, Nia DaCosta’s Candyman – I can’t wait!) and I hope this sets as a solid stepping-stone for Natalie Erika James to give us some truly amazing horror films. This one can be rented on Amazon Prime for $5.99 USD and well worth your dollars. Give it a watch!
RELATED: ‘Halloween Kills’, ‘The Forever Purge’, ‘Candyman’ Get New Release Dates