In the Midst of Dementia and Hauntings, a Family Tries to Stay Together

Bella Heathcote in "Relic"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

With all of the great horror movies that have been released over the last few years, some of the most fascinating ones have been those that focus on families trying to overcome issues that threaten to break them apart.  Between Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook,” Ari Aster’s “Hereditary,” and even David Gordon Green’s “Halloween,” we’ve seen this topic explored in ways that were both unsettling and unforgettable.  These films brought audiences into stories that dealt with the relatable topic of family and had them go into situations with which an everyday family might deal, but on a horror scale.

Director Natalie Erika James makes an impressive filmmaking debut with her horror drama, “Relic,” a creepy and hard-hitting view into a family and what they must do when a crisis among them arises.

When Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her daughter, Sam (Bella Heathcote), travel to the home of Kay’s mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin), they find that she’s missing.  Edna, who suffers from dementia, soon returns, but can’t remember where she’s been.  As Kay and Sam help take care of Edna, they begin to realize that there might be something sinister lurking in the house, something that’s linked to Edna’s disappearance.

Mortimer, Heathcote, and Nevin all deliver impactful performances as three generations of women who are brought together to face an uncertain challenge.  The three actresses exhibit the love that their characters have for each other, a love that tries to go against the strain of what they’re up against.  Between the desperation that Mortimer and Heathcote display to Edna’s slowly loosening grip on reality, all three actresses show the heartrending stress of trying to keep their family together as Edna becomes less and less like the person that her daughter and granddaughter used to know.  A horror movie is at its best when there are emotional stakes involved, and the main characters provide superb work in showing the toll that this situation has on all of them.

Although the movie could have been a little longer to further explore the topic of dementia and its impact on families, the screenplay by James and Christian White shows us enough of the dynamics between the three main characters to provide us with an idea of how they interact.  Besides a couple of supporting characters who show up for a few minutes in total, this story is all about Kay, Sam, and Edna.  By having pretty much the whole narrative focus on them, we’re able to experience the full weight of what they’re experiencing, bringing us scene after scene of dramatic tension that mixes in a few ambiguous, yet intriguing insights pertaining to the family’s history.  With the mix of scares and poignant bonds between the characters, this is a family drama every bit as much as a haunted-house story.

The cinematography by Charlie Sarroff makes effective use of the dark as we explore the house and the shadows that play tricks on us.  Between the unlit rooms and hallways and the point-of-view shots that make it seem as though an ominous entity is watching the family, Sarroff and James make sure that the environment of the film has us in its tightest grip. 

Sarroff’s camerawork succeeds in capturing the oppressive sense of solitude that the house emits, working well with the production design by Steven Jones-Evans.  What’s most notable about the set design is how it’s used to evoke a sense of the dementia, particularly in the final third.  Events happen that cause you to see the house in different, disquieting ways, making you feel the psychological decay through which Edna is going. 

Those aforementioned technical aspects highlight how James’ direction is pure atmospherics.  She understands that the drama of this movie shouldn’t be dampened by cheap jump scares, but instead have the scenario speak for itself and have your heart breaking for the characters.  However, besides making you care for the characters, she can also make your pulse race.  The way in which she presents the house never fails to emphasize the sense that there are disturbing secrets built into it, and she leaves us with an unwavering sense of dread whenever we turn a corner or enter a room.  As a debut for a promising filmmaker, James shows that intelligent horror movies aren’t the relics that they sometimes seem to be.

Grade: A-