'The Lodge' tells the story of a family tragedy, children coping with losing their mother and accepting a new person in their lives. As Richard, the father of young Aidan and Mia, informs Laura of wanting to formalise their divorce as he wishes to marry his new partner Grace, Laura commits suicide. As time passes Richard wants to introduce the trio and organises a winter break at their family lodge at a remote Massachusetts location. As Richard has to leave due to a work commitment, once the three are alone strange happenings occur resulting in Grace retreading memories of her time in a religious cult as a child.
The film sets up the story in an abrupt and haunting fashion, as Laura's suicide occurs without her exhibiting any indication of what she is about to do. The children are shown to support each other emotionally and are seen to be in agreement of feeling resentment and blaming Grace for what has transpired. Prior to their meeting the children investigate her, finding out about her tragic past. Soon after meeting, it is clear they feel awkward around her and harbour negative emotions. With time however, Mia seems to open up to Grace, and the three of them are shown to spend time together without incident. In parallel, we are shown that Grace takes medication, hides it from Richard and experiences sleepwalking accompanied by visions of her past.
The film is about Graces journey as she slowly loses touch with reality, facilitated by the children orchestrating strange happenings around the house to sabotage her and exact revenge for their mothers suicide. The film spends time establishing Grace as an unreliable figure, somewhat heavy-handedly at times through her dream sequences depicting elements of her past in the cult and her proclivity towards sleepwalking. The visual cues to her mental fragility set up the possibility of her mental breakdown, yet when it eventually happens, we are left underwhelmed.
The journey of Grace slowly losing grip on reality is delivered in a smooth progression, leaving the audience questioning alongside her, what is real and what she is experiencing as a dream or memory. However, there are instances where the story feels too monotone. The atmosphere is ripe for delivering effective scares, yet there are instances where it doesn't happen and seems like a missed opportunity. That is not to say that more scares make for a better horror film, but the moments of tension seem to go by without delivering any effective purge of the pent up suspense. More often than not, extended, unbroken sequences where pressure builds up and does not conclude in a scare is effective at keeping the viewer in a constant state of unease, yet 'The Lodge' somehow misses the mark and fails to deliver in that regard as well.
The twist of the story, namely the reveal that the children have been setting up the odd occurrences in order to break Grace does not seem to come as a surprise. At first, the disappearance of their things and the generator not working seems odd enough, however the following events seem less convincing. Graces journey down the rabbit hole is engrossing, yet the machinations of the kids and the lack of any indication towards anything supernatural seem to take us out of the mystery on if Grace is truly experiencing anything mystical.
'The Lodge' provides that, in this instance, a person slowly experiencing a mental breakdown is not enough to be appreciated from the side-lines, if it is apparent that she is being manipulated. A story of mistreatment and forcing an individual into a mental breakdown can be interesting enough, yet 'The Lodge' seems to lack that certain element of mystery to accentuate and provide vibrancy to the story.
The visual style of the film is haunting in its establishing shots, - the long pans through Mia's dollhouse are a clue to the plan the children are devising against Grace and serves well to set the dreary tone and atmosphere of both the lodge and the ill intentions the children are harbouring. The cool tones utilised during the commencement of the odd happenings serve well to highlight the haunting atmosphere that sets in after Grace starts questioning her surroundings and her sanity. The wintry exteriors do well to encapsulate the isolation and claustrophobia that exists for the three inhabitants of the lodge.
Riley Keough portrays Grace, a young unassuming woman with a difficult past. As she is influenced by her surroundings and starts to feel betrayed by her senses, we can truly live through her torment and experience her desperation as she tries, through a logical and pragmatic approach, to salvage her sanity. Keough delivers a truly amazing performance as her character dives deeper into the dark void that is desperation, fear and pain. Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh portray Aidan and Mia respectively, and work well together to deliver a caring and close sibling relationship. The unforced expressions of their interactions convince us that they are close with each other, steering us away from allowing the possibility that such well behaved children could be harbouring such sinister plans.
The directors and writers of the film, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala set out to tell a haunting tale with an unbelievable sinister twist. The story should work to deliver a stirring experience that lingers long after the film has ended, yet the execution leaves more to be desired. The pacing of the film seems to be working against the story at times, slowing down where a more fast paced approach would be more effective at instilling fear. Overall the film establishes a dark atmosphere and is led by a great performance, yet it is not enough to create a truly memorable or impactful film experience.
Score: 1/4
Comments