'Sanzaru' is a horror drama that follows Evelyn, a live-in caretaker who begins to unravel as her employer Dena succumbs to dementia.
The film opens on the wake of Evelyn's mother, as she speaks to 'Mr. Sanzaru' presumably after she has passed. The two share an exchange in which only the mother can be understood, with Mr Sanzaru frightening the woman as to his future intentions.
Evelyn is awoken during the night as Amos, her nephew tells her that Dena had wandered into his room in the middle of the night. The two of them help Dena back to bed and the following day Evelyn is shown taking care of Dena as the two share time watching television and filling out a crossword puzzle. As Evelyn goes to the garage to do laundry, she notices a secret locked room, peering through a gap in the door and seeing only a stack of VHS tapes. As part of her chores Evelyn also walks from the remote and isolated house to the post office to pick up correspondence. In the meantime Amos is shown going for runs, as he has recently been suspended from school following a sporting accident. Back at the house Evelyn is on the phone to her sister, Anita with whom she has an exchange about Amos, his suspension and how the two of them are settling in at Dena's. Clem, Dena's son, also stays on the property, in a trailer by the house and comes by frequently to check on his mother and to fix things around the house. Over time, Evelyn hears strange noises from Dena's room at night, as if she is in conversation with someone, but on investigating one night, she finds no one there with Dena visibly upset.
As Dena's health worsens, she begins to be less responsive, losing track of conversation and becoming more upset. On one occasion she accuses Amos of having taken her silver charm bracelet. After taking Amos fishing, Clem prepares dinner, and Evelyn, Amos and Clem have a pleasant evening together dining, before being interrupted by a commotion from upstairs. Dana had wandered around again, and after injuring herself, is in need of urgent medical attention. Afterwards, Evelyn makes her way to Clem's and the two spend the night together, with her discovering Dena's bracelet in the morning, with a key hooked on to it. After that, Evelyn has a confrontation with Amos, as she discovers the boy not to have kept up with his schoolwork during his suspension, in the heat of which Amos confronts Evelyn with knowing that she is actually his mother not his aunt. Evelyn later makes her way to the post office, having figured out that the key opens a PO box there and discovers a stack of correspondence to Mr. Sanzaru.
On her way back to the house, she finds Amos passed out on the floor, and unseen to her, he witnesses a red spectre wander about the house, having emerged through a portal in the office of the house. Evelyn and Clem try to call on a doctor, but with the power out. Clem makes his way to the post office to call from there. On his way there, he seen Dena has wandered out to a nearby lake and proceeds to drive her home. In the meantime, Evelyn confesses her secret to Amos, confirming that she is his mother, and that the pregnancy was a result of rape. Afterwards, she investigates strange noises through the house, and finds the secret room by the garage to be open, discovering that Dena's husband had abused his children sexually.
As Clem returns to the house, he asks for Evelyn to help him and his mother, afterwards saying that he needs her there, and locking her in the house as he proceeds to burn the VHS tapes and journals from the secret room. Afterwards, as the red spectre wanders the house, Evelyn proceeds to try to wake Dena and get away with her. She finds Clem resting by her side, with him having taken blood thinners and injured himself. She assures him that she'll call someone to come to his aid and the film concludes on her walking away from the house and coming upon Dena's husband's, Clem Sr.'s, grave on their way to the post office.
'Sanzaru' is a bleak and dreary drama that has elements of tension throughout its runtime, amounting to horror. With its gothic tone and almost melodramatic story-lines, the film creates an enticing mix of unrelenting tension the further along it goes as well as developing genuinely engrossing personal stories. The film reveals information about its characters sparingly, letting the viewer get to know and care for each individual slowly, building a complete picture of who each of them are.
On the outset, Evelyn appears uncomplicated, working as a caretaker and taking care of her nephew taking on each day one at a time. However, we find out her secret about Amos being her son and even after that, that he was a result of rape. With Amos figuring this out, their interactions become tense until they finally face each other and the truth. At the same time, we get to follow Clem, who seems simple, as he visits with his mother and spends time working around the house. On closer inspection, we find out that he used to serve in the armed forces, has deep regrets about not standing up for a fellow soldier with narcolepsy, self-harms and was discharged due to severe injuries from an IED. Prior to the conclusion of the story, we also find out that his father sexually abused him, adding to the seemingly insurmountable emotional burden that Clem has to carry. In all, the film focuses on all of it's characters and their difficult past, as the story shows us how Evelyn and Amos resolving their issue and confronting the truth helps them carry on, with the emotional weight lessened. At the same time, unable to resolve and face his issues, as Clem chooses to stay in the house, he is shown succumbing to his injuries as the red specter looms over him, indicating that his inability to open up and resolve his past is his ultimate undoing.
Aina Dumlao portrays Evelyn, the seemingly plain caretaker, managing her everyday life in a demanding job. As we get to know her more intimately, Dumlao masterfully conveys the character as a deeply hurt and somewhat fragile individual. With Amos around, she is reminded of her past daily, and is not set free until she reveals the truth to him. Together with Jon Viktor Corpuz, who portrays Amos, the two create an uneasy and awkward dynamic, conveying the difficult situation that they are in until their confrontation.
Justin Arnold portrays Clem, and initially, the character comes off almost as a backwoods bumpkin, without us knowing his intentions towards anything or anyone. Until Evelyn spends more time with him, Arnold's character has little room to grow, but over the course of the film, Clem is revealed as a deeply damaged and sad character, with a laundry list of tragedies to have struck him in his past. With a quiet and seemingly muted approach, Arnold skilfully delivers a character who the viewer can sympathize with, rather than pity. Eventually however, Clem resolves to give into his dark past and we can see him weighed down by it to his ultimate demise, with Arnold showcasing a deeply saddening downward spiral and defeat.
'Sanzaru' is written and directed by Xia Magnus in his feature directorial debut. The film is an intense experience that grips the viewer without their knowledge. The story starts off easy, but before too long the story has engulfed the viewer, as it follows multiple intriguing personal stories, blinding the audience of the tension that it is setting up, resulting in an impressive, uneasy and unnerving climax, as the characters have to either face their daemons or be consumed by them.
'Sanzaru' is an tense and daunting experience that almost tricks the viewer into stepping knee deep in suspense by outmaneuvering the audience through successfully introducing and maintaining strong and compelling personal tales of plight. In addition to the interesting creative choices for the visual representation of the afterlife, ghostly apparitions and frightening audio design, 'Sanzaru' is a grim and foreboding film, whose dark themes maintain their grip on the viewer long after the film is over.
Score: 4/4
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