The Babadook (2014)

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 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2024


Writer / Director: Jennifer Kent

Stars: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall, Barbara West, Ben Winspear, Chloe Hurn, Jacqy Phillips, Bridget Walters



A single mother (Essie Davis), still grieving the loss of her husband, tries to understand the evil force that has infiltrated her life and threatens her young son (Noah Wiseman).

 


This powerful horror film explores the destructive force that unresolved grief can exert and its ability to poison relationships.



 One might call it psychological torture porn.



 If I recall correctly, all of the supernatural events occur only in the presence of the mother and son, leaving open the possibility that none of it really happened. 



Davis gives a raw performance, and Wiseman’s Samuel is such a difficult child that I shared her intense frustration and resentment toward him. 



Seduced into empathizing with this degradation of the mother-child relationship, I felt implicated when she began to act out against him. 



At this point, writer/ director Jennifer Kent accomplishes a smooth shifting of sympathy between the characters that is really rather extraordinary. 



This is not fun to watch, but it is very well done.
















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