Horror isn’t just the inexplicable and terrifying happening to one person, it is also the effect on those who care about them. Secondhand suffering, if you will. In some movies, what happens to those concerned about another is worse than what is experienced by the one directly impacted.
Consider The Exorcist: at the end, Linda Blair’s character doesn’t even remember what happened. The real terror is experienced by her mother, as played by Ellen Burstyn.
Similarly, 2020’s Relic has Emily Mortimer as a woman trying to find her missing mother, who appears to have dementia. Mortimer’s daughter, played by Bella Heathcote, joins her at the missing woman’s house. A few days later, the elderly matriarch returns, and is acting very strangely.
The grandmother is played by Robyn Nevin in a noteworthy performance. It is difficult to watch any other actors when she in on the screen. She deftly navigates both sudden mood swings and more subtle shifts in temperament. It is as if she is possessed or has more than one personality, but the viewer is left feeling as uncertain as the daughter and granddaughter trying to help her.
Nevin’s house has secrets, and I don’t want to say anything that might spoil the experience of discovering these things yourself. Unfortunately, by the end of the film, I had more questions than answers. While I’m good with ambiguity, I felt there was too much that wasn’t resolved to my satisfaction. Everything in this picture feels too deliberate for me to believe there isn’t a purpose for every development in it. Hey, Relic, why did you leave me hanging?
Still, I recommend this movie for fans of contemporary art-house horror. If nothing else, there is a very good drama rooted in the performances by the three leads. As a bonus, the final third has some mysterious goings-on of note. I can’t say I came away fully satisfied, as I had more unanswered questions than I usually care for, but at least I am still mulling over those questions.
Dir: Natalie Erika James
Starring Robin Nevyn, Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote
Watched on Shout Factory blu-ray