Shadows on the Wall | The Remedy

The Remedy

dir Alex Kahuam
scr Daniel Kuhlman
prd Daniel Kuhlman, Alex Kahuam, Roberta Sparta
with Timothy Granaderos, London Thor, Jenny O'Hara, Doug Jones, Chris Mulkey, Dana Mulkey, Katie Baker, Daniel Kuhlman, Christin Muuli, Alexa Ortega, Jeff Torres, James Babson
release UK Jun.26 sxl
25/US 1h30

CANNES FILM FEST
SXSW LONDON

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With a clever mix of menacing visuals and vivid underlying emotions, this grisly horror movie quickly gets under the skin. The shadowy freak-out imagery is fairly relentless, and director Alex Kahuam skilfully keeps the audience on edge with both subtle insinuations and big gross-out moments. As a result, this unhinged film continually makes us squirm, and genre fans will love how this gruesome story just keeps getting nastier.

In 1988 suburban Los Angeles, Jason (Granaderos) is caring for his dying mother Maria (O'Hara), who refuses to see doctors or take drugs. As a result, Jason lost his job and marriage, and his sleepless, nightmare-filled nights are messing with his perception of reality. He also must keep an eye on his bipolar sister Rachel (Thor). Then he reads about an ancient herbal remedy discovered by specialist Leif (Jones) that allows a spirit to heal the body. After Jason mixes up a batch, his mother gains an, ahem, appetite. And Jason's mind continues to slip.

Because we see this through Jason's eyes, we're never quite sure if what we see is real or another ghastly dream. To make everything even creepier, Maria's badly under-lit house is packed with bonkers taxidermy, while Rachel mumbles sinister chants surrounded by candles. And the remedy itself looks like ink. Cinematographer Diego Cacho deploys every eye-catching trick in the book, from spiralling angles to shaky nuttiness as the plot gleefully drags Jason down into a terrifyingly dark rabbit hole.

Within this heightened atmosphere, Granaderos delivers a remarkably grounded performance as a young man whose life has upended simply because he wants to be a good son. Thor adeptly takes on Rachel's mood swings, as their camaraderie jarringly shifts to antagonism and back. But it's always underscored with a moving sense of desperation. Side roles add textures in a range of quirky scenes, including a nosey aunt and uncle (Chris and Dana Mulkey), an old classmate neighbour (screenwriter Kuhlman) and a flirtatious nurse (Baker).

There are all sorts of intriguing things going on in this dysfunctional family, especially as these increasingly unstable siblings begin keeping things from each other. So their real problem seems to centre around mental health rather than any supernatural threat. But maybe there's that too. These chilling ideas, as well as superbly offhanded scenes that cut through the tension, help keep the film engaging on several surprising levels. Even when we're afraid to look.

themes, language, violence 21.Jul.26

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