While boasting a terse runtime, this movie still feels long, right up to the last act. There is a visually gripping opening, then the film wallows for a while in family trauma. While performances are excellent, none of the characters are likable by intention, as both leads are object lessons in failed coping and festering resentment. There is quality in the execution, conveying a deeply fractured bond between mother and daughter, and the direction and mood is quite gloomy although the pacing is glacial. The initial focus is on the nightmarish aspects of dealing with the toil and drain of at-home palliative care, and then shifting to preparations for a rite of resurrection. These things always work out great, and before we know it, blood is shed and the landscape shifts into abyssal depths and nightmare visions. The void landscape is unique, and offers some unsettling visuals; it also offers one of those rare opportunities for family bonding, bloodshed and self-mutilation. A lot of the ritual’s outcome is determined by viewer interpretation, as there are few definitive answers, and the ambiguity will not sit well with most audiences. Overall, a frustrating film that sacrifices scares for trauma drama, and rushes through its potential payoff after taking forever to get there.
The Surrender (2025)