Nordling here.
Jennifer Kent's THE BABADOOK is more than scary. It's meaningful and rich with passion, and for Kent to be able to juggle all that and still remain incredibly frightening indicates a significant talent has entered the horror arena. There are many comparisons out there to THE SHINING, and if you're going to play with the themes of that work you better have something to bring to the table that is not only unique, but effective, and Kent's horror fairy tale does that. Kent seems to realize an important aspect to horror that only a few filmmakers who work in the genre can effectively put onscreen - the best horror films aren't nearly as interested in scaring its audience than in using the tropes and mechanisms of horror to arrive at a deeper conclusion. Kent doesn't always accomplish what she sets out to do, but a huge majority of the time she does, which makes her a director to pay attention to.
THE BABADOOK simply wouldn't work without its performances, and many films only get one. THE BABADOOK gets two - the incredible Essie Davis and the equally impressive Noah Wiseman. I'm amazed at how great these performances are, and how well they complement each other. This feels like lightning in a bottle, caught twice. It's important too, because in the second half of the film, when everything coalesces, these actors and the characters they play are our captains, navigating the audience through dark and treacherous waters. Davis gives a brave performance, and takes risks with her work, and young Wiseman is incredible in a role that must have been extraordinarily difficult to cast. These are complicated characters, and we as an audience are uneasy with our relationship to them, and as the darkness deepens and the scares come in earnest, Davis and Wiseman are amazing.
Amelia (Davis) lost her husband six years ago, and the son he never knew has grown quickly out of control. Samuel (Wiseman) seems to live in a fantasy world, a world of monsters that threaten him and his mother, and he vows to do everything he can to protect her. Samuel is deeply disturbed, and the other parents shy away from both him and Amelia. Amelia feels desolate and alone, with a son who seems more and more alien to her. It doesn't help that one day she brings down a book from the shelf called THE BABADOOK, which terrifies her son so completely that Amelia is forced to take drastic measures to try to handle his increasingly distressed behavior. And then, it starts to become apparent to Amelia that Samuel might not be imagining this Babadook after all. It suddenly becomes clear to Amelia that her and her son could be in incredible danger. But is the Babadook real, or a grieving family's worst nightmarish imagination?
Kent does amazing work here keeping the tone consistent and delivering on the scares, and at the same time filling THE BABADOOK with powerful themes and resonance. The Babadook itself is an inspired movie monster, original and scary, which is so difficult to achieve these days when every horror monster seems derivative of other monsters (although the look is very DR. CALIGARI). At times, Amelia and Samuel are unlikeable characters, and when the people in their lives abandon them, we are sympathetic and yet understanding that there is something terribly wrong with both Amelia and Samuel. Kent (who also wrote the screenplay) doesn't let our sympathies off easily, and THE BABADOOK isn't afraid to explore disturbing ideas and uncomfortable possibilities. Again, comparisons to THE SHINING are apt, but unlike Kubrick's film, which can be cold and calculating amongst the horror, THE BABADOOK twists the knife in our hearts, as these awful things begin happening to this fractured family. Our fear comes from our love, and how we relate to their sorrow. This makes THE BABADOOK all the more terrifying.
This is Jennifer Kent's first feature-length film, and a hell of a debut - she has complete control over her message and tone in a way that even more experienced directors have yet to master. There ar aspects that may not work for some, especially audiences who are unprepared for how unlikable Davis, Wiseman, and Kent are willing to make their protagonists. At times, Amelia and Samuel are not easy to embrace, but these characters are struggling with huge loss and sorrow, and it can be difficult to imagine ourselves in their place. These actors are unafraid of risk, and Davis and Wiseman are astonishingly good. Kent's direction of young Wiseman is especially amazing - we are uncomfortable with young Samuel, but we also understand just how damaged he is by his past, and how Wiseman brings that to his work here is powerful. But Essie Davis gives one of the great horror performances I've seen in a long time. The way Davis experiences every emotion and story shift is incredible, and she very much deserved her Fantastic Fest award. It's stunningly good work.
Jennifer Kent feels like an exciting new voice on the horror scene, and she as wonderful skill in bringing these horrifying visions to life. The horror movies we love, like THE SHINING or THE EXORCIST, have more on their minds than fear. These films explore fear to come at a deeper truth. THE BABADOOK left me shaken and disturbed. And if you let it in, you may well find it difficult to shake as well.
Nordling, out.
