‘You Should Have Left’ is a psychological thriller, advertised as a mind-bending experience set to disturb and twist the reality of the story we are subjected to. Relying on the premise to deliver an exciting horror thriller may disappoint some viewers as the film manges to tell a story set in an ominous house without delivering any deeper thought beyond - ‘The house is a trap of your own making.’
The plot of the film follows a retired investment banker, Theo, his much younger actress wife, Susanna, and their young daughter, Ella, as they decide to travel to Wales for a vacation. Soon after arriving Theo is plagued by strange nightmares and odd happenings around the house. After a visit to the small nearby town and a strange interaction with a local grocer, Theo takes note of the seemingly inexplicable parameters of the house – the interior walls are not at a right angle and some rooms are larger on the inside than the outside. Along the way, we discover that Theo had been the subject to a well publicised trial in which he was accused of murdering his wife, later revealing that he was found not guilty.
As the story progresses, we see Theo exploring his suspicions that Susanna may be cheating, as he invades her privacy and goes through her private messages, finding nothing. Later on however, it is revealed that Susanna has a second phone, causing an argument after which she leaves, leaving Theo and Ella by themselves. After further disturbing events Theo and Ella try to leave the house by foot to the nearby town only to be returned to the house. Realising that Theo needs to face his inner demons, he instructs Susanna to leave with Ella, as he must remain at the house.
The film is heavy-handed in explaining to the audience that the house serves as a prison of Theo’s own making. As Theo was culpable in his wife’s demise, the idea of the film is to tell the audience that one cannot start anew on a foundation of lies. The house traps Theo within, forcing him to face his past, threatening to harm his young daughter otherwise. The idea of a child being harmed due to their fathers mistakes is also highlighted, but that message is delivered one too many times, creating a feeling that the audience may be too dim to understand it.
The storyline of Theo’s suspicions of Susanna cheating and the reveal of that fact somehow falls flat and seems disconnected from the overarching story, besides a discussion Susanna has with Ella, with a divisive line being uttered about where a person has been accused must be guilty of something. The film reveals that a person with a guilty conscience will be trapped by the house, yet after Susanna’s revelation, she immediately leaves, undercutting the threat the house poses to someone who’s guilty of something.
By the time Theo is asked to confront what he has done, through a figure resembling himself, there is somehow no shock value in that revelation. The film was clear in forming the idea that we need to face our past, clear our conscience and be punished for our sins, so the final reveal is predictable and falls flat.
There have been numerous thrillers with the theme of guilt before ‘You Should Have Left’ that have delivered the message with more force and shock in the reveal, such as ‘Shutter Island’ (2010), ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001) or 'Memento' (2000). The visual style of the film, under the lead of Angus Hudson, serves well to illustrate the seemingly unending and disorienting nature of the house, mirroring Theo’s psyche and his journey to confronting his past. The house is made to feel like an unending prison-maze in which we are trapped with Theo. The film is shot beautifully and successfully creates the visual sensation of the house stretching to infinity, yet the common horror movie tropes allow the audience to reconcile that notion, as the viewer can see a scare coming a mile away. The anticipation of a scare allows the viewer not to be shocked or surprised rather going against the film, and pulling the viewer further away from appreciating the visual style of the film.
Kevin Bacon portrays Theo as a suspicious and guilt-ridden father on a journey to admitting his guilt. The actor plays the character with a toned-down approach, delivering his best lines in interactions with Amanda Seyfried’s Susanna. However, a particular nightmare scene where Theo discovers Ella dead seemed phoned in, where the actors delivery pulls the viewer out of the fantasy of the story.
Amanda Seyfried’s portrays Susanna, - a young well-to-do actress in a relatable way, where she is easy going and somewhat vapid. It is therefore a shame that even after the revelation that she is cheating on Theo, the actress disappears till the end of the film and is not asked to do much.
The director, David Koepp, may be better known as a writer, having delivered many successful blockbusters. His approach in retelling the adaptation of ‘Du hättest gehen sollen’ is however flat and less than exciting, suffering from predictable scares and a revelation that fails to surprise the viewer.
Overall the film is successful in creating the atmosphere of being trapped in Theo’s psyche through mirroring the maze-like nature of the house, yet it is not enough to save the film from suffering from a predictable and unexciting script.
Score: 1/4
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