Available today in select theaters, drive-ins, digital and VOD is the drama/horror film, Relic.
The film stars Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, Robyn Nevin. It’s produced by Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, Riva Marker and interestingly enough, Jake Gyllenhaal.
The film is Rated R and is distributed by IFC.
Relic had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 to critical acclaim, praising the film as a fresh and terrifying twist on the notorious haunted-house tale.
Relic is the story of three generations of women – Kay (Mortimer), her daughter Sam (Heathcote) and Kay’s mom, Edna (Nevin).
Edna is elderly and lives on her own. When she suddenly vanishes, Kay and Sam go to Edna’s home to help look for her.
Edna’s home is in disarray. It’s falling apart and things are a mess. It all leads Kay and Sam to believe that Edna’s dementia is getting worse. This gives them a lot of cause for concern.
Kay, Sam and others check the woods around the home, but there is no sign of Edna. Kay and Sam plan on staying in Edna’s home until she is found.
One night Edna suddenly re-appears in the kitchen, and she acts as if nothing is wrong. She is wearing her nightgown and her feet are covered in dirt.
Kay is convinced that it’s not safe for Edna to live on her own anymore, and wants to put her in a home where she will be safe and well cared for. Sam on the other hand think that grandma is just fine and should be allowed to stay in the family’s home.
Kay and Sam decide to stay with Edna for a while, until they can resolve what to do with her. As each day passes, Edna’s behavior becomes more erratic, and even volatile.
Could this all just be a result of her dementia, or is it possible that there is some kind of evil lurking in Edna’s home causing her increasingly concerning behavior?
To find out what is truly going on with Edna, go see, purchase or rent Relic. Look for it at a theater or drive-in near you, or look for it on VOD or where ever movies are sold.
This is being marketed as a horror movie. For those of you who read my posts often, you know that I am a dire hard horror movie fan. It takes A LOT to impress me. Sadly, I haven’t come across a great horror movie since 2016 (Train to Busan). For die hard fans of the genre, Relic does have a creepy factor to it, and a few “jump scares,” but it’s not that scary. For those who freak out over every thing that moves on the screen during a horror movie, then you will enjoy the eeriness of Relic.
The movie was a bit slow in the beginning. I thought it was cool how Edna suddenly appeared in the kitchen, seemingly unaware that anything was wrong. But was it due to some evil lurking in the home or her dementia.
I don’t know much about dementia. I don’t know if it makes people violent or not.
It is very sad to watch Edna slowly drift away and have her life and independence in question.
The movie picks up about 3/4th of the way through. That is when viewers find out once and for all what is behind Edna’s strange behaviors.
I was left scratching my head a bit at the end of the film. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure if I understand the ending or not. I think I have to re-watch it just to be sure that I didn’t miss anything.
This is what my husband refers to as a “dark film.” It’s not so much dark in nature (meaning evil, scary), but more so “dark” as in the action you see on screen is not well lit.
Robyn Nevin (“Edna”) did an outstanding job in her role. I found her acting very convincing, and the looks she puts on her face are alone enough to scare the heebie jeebies out of most people.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
