Final Girls Film Festival

Cabin Fever – Isolation Horror

Isolation. Something which has always been part of horror – mainly in remote locations – but which has now become part of our everyday lives and vocab. Who hasn’t felt isolated at one point or another during the last year? Even ‘self-isolation’ has become a common phrase, and even though some of these films were produced pre-pandemic, the last year brings a deeper connection to them, becoming almost eerie in others. And they serve as a reminder – isolation doesn’t just mean stuck in a remote cabin deep in the woods.

Now That You’re Mine (Nyt Kun Olet Minun)

Directed by Petra Lumioska

Starring Sanna Koivisto, Sonja Kuittinen, Misa Lommi

Sisters Aava (Sanna Koivisto) and Iiris (Misa Lommi), along with Aava’s girlfriend Heidi (Sonja Kuittinen) travel to their parents’ island-based holiday home, hoping to clear it out and sell it. But strange things start happening, driving a wedge between Aava and Heidi. The way music is used here, especially as Aava digs out an old CD player, is done really well. As she listens, we get flashbacks of what happened on the island when she was a child, and as she remembers, the CD skips. It’s good at building the tension, but once we move past the opening things do get a bit slow.

It feels like there’s a good sisterly bond between Aava and Iiris, and the contrast between Iiris’ treatment of Aava and Heidi’s is portrayed well, building the conflict for Aava between family and romance. Again, it’s slow in parts and could have perhaps been a little shorter, but overall it’s a good film and keeps the viewer guessing.

Lose It

Directed by AJ Taylor, Maximilian Clark

Starring Akiyaa Wilson

This is a really short one that gets right under your skin. It’s quietly disturbing, the opening really pulling its weight in terms of setting everything off. It almost feels like things are perhaps too normal. It’ll be hard to shake this one off.

A Dinner Party

Directed by Michèle Kaye

Starring Alyssa Capriotti, Winny Clarke, Wayne Burns, Sarah Slywhuk

The one had an almost immediate WTF effect, drawing up questions almost as soon as it started. A group of friends gather for a dinner party, hosted by Ruby (Alyssa Capriotti). A strange desperation for normality leaks from her guests, while she remains aware of how messed up things are. I winced as Ruby expressed her concerns, only to be shot down by her ‘friends’ and told to just act normal and ignore the reality of her pain and emotions. We’re never explicitly told what has really happened, but we’re given plenty of indication of what might have gone on without it being too overt.

Fat Henry 

Staring, Directed, Written by England Simpson

This one wasn’t really to my taste, though it touches on some interesting topics in a fairly unique way. We get an immediate idea of Jada’s life, shown instantly it’s a lonely one, as she watches videos and looks for work online. As the story unfolds, we understand a bit more, though this one moves at a very slow pace. The introduction to ‘Fat Henry’ is creepy, but pretty soon things take a weird turn and it feels handled just a little poorly. Mainly because of the shaky camerawork, and wooden acting of those around Simpson. It doesn’t help that the ending spends a good few minutes over-explaining what we’ve just seen. Again, interesting topics, handled uniquely, and Simpson is a good actor, but the rest lets this film down.

Stucco

Written and Directed by Janina Gavankar & Russo Schelling

Starring Janina Gavankar

This one hit very close to home, somehow managing to encapsulate a large aspect of the pandemic despite being filmed in 2019. Janina Gavankar plays an agoraphobic woman who has just moved into a new home. Again, there’s nothing overt of overly explained with this one, but it drip-feeds information to really let us understand her predicament. She gets a physical reaction to the mere thought of going outside, making even small daily tasks we take for granted incredibly difficult. Finding her wall is hollow, she starts trying to discover why, drawing us into a strange, almost surreal world of body horror. Fans of The Umbrella Academy will spot a familiar face, and Gavankar is known to those who have seen The Vampire Diaries. My notes for this included, in envy, “How some people come up with these ideas I’ll never know.” Well worth a watch.

Review by Elle Turpitt

Twitter: @ElleTurpitt
Website: www.elleturpitt.com

Received these films from Final Girls Berlin Film Fest for Consideration.