'Censor' is a horror film following Enid - a censor working under the British authority for regulating the censoring, rating and banning of obscene or otherwise crude films, or video nasties, that are perceived to be damaging to the moral fiber of society.
The film commences by showing us Enid in action, - viewing a multitude of gory films and assessing the scenes too outrageous to be released to the public. She takes her job seriously, believing to provide a necessary service to shielding the public from films that me depict gore too realistically. She is shown to have no social life as such, and at a dinner with her parents, it is revealed her sister, Nina, went missing when the two were young and playing in the forest one day. It is clear Enid blames herself and is finding it hard to move on. One day Enid comes across a film, 'Don't Go In The Church' that strikes fear in her, as the movie shares similarities with the circumstances of how Nina went missing. Through tracking down the filmmaker, Enid winds up on the set of the sequel for the film in the search of the actress, Alice Lee, that she believes to be her lost sister. After confronting the actress and Alice denying that she is her sister, Enid loses her grip on reality and proceeds to kill one of the co-stars, subsequently leading Alice to her parents. The film closes on a picturesque reunion of Alice with Enid's parents, as Enid perceives it, when in reality Alice is pleading for the parents to help her as she fears what Enid may do.
'Censor' is a dark and gripping horror film, following Enid's descent into paranoia and desperation as she tries to redeem herself and rectify what she believes to be her fault into the disappearance of her sister. The film starts off by introducing Enid as a composed and straight-laced individual, - serious about her job and focused on carrying out her duties to the best of her ability. Following a media storm revolving around a film that she had approved for release that is subsequently linked to a gruesome murder that has taken place, Enid starts to question her choices. What follows is a slow yet poignant descent into fear and madness, as Enid tries to redeem herself and track down her sister. With every step she takes closer to tracking down the actress that resembles Nina, Enid inadvertently kills a movie producer, Doug, and eventually murders a cast member of a film production. In her search for Nina, Enid constructs an increasingly darker narrative that exacerbates her already declining mental state and leads to a complete breakdown, as she unconsciously chooses to self-censor her perception of reality to match her good intentions, yet in reality leads to gruesome and horrific acts of violence and terror.
The film is composed of a multitude of dark and eerie sets that lead the viewer to see the world from Enid's perspective. As she experiences guilt of having lost her sister, 'Censor' reflects her inner turmoil through dimly lit scenes and dour exchanges with the people around her. The movie becomes progressively gloomy as Enid slips deeper into her paranoia, and the film provides effective scares through a handful of dream sequences, merging the real world and Enid's created narrative, melding what is real and imaginary, providing for a truly bewildering experience, leaving the audience to question what is actually happening. By changing the aspect ratio throughout the presentation of the film, there are visual ques to what takes place in reality and what is a construct of Enid's imagination, yet the final act of the film creates such a bizarre sequence of events that leave the viewer questioning exactly what is going on, instilling fear through effectively cut sequences, splicing together idyllic scenes and horrific representations of reality.
Niamh Algar portrays Enid, the well-intentioned censor that tries her best to cope with the responsibility she feels for the disappearance of her sister. As reality starts to crumble around her, Algar masterfully depicts the degradation of both Enid's physical and mental well being. Through delivering a haunting illustration of what self-induced belief of wrongdoing can do to a person, we can witness the remorse that weighs on Enid and the extent of the effect that it has on her.
'Censor' is an effective and stirring depiction of a woman's downward spiral into insanity as the audience is given a front row seat into seeing how fear, guilt and paranoia can eat away at a person. By showcasing the inner workings of Enid's mind, as she purges her self-condemnation through visceral dream sequences, 'Censor' provides for a gut-wrenching and terrifying film, that remains alarming til the very end.
Score: 4/4
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