Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Julia Max
Starring: Colby Minifie, Kate Burton, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong
So many horror movies have tackled grief that it's become something
of a cliché in the genre. But unlike many horror movies, in which a
death has occurred some time in the past and is still being processed
by the protagonist at a later point, writer/director Julia Max's debut The Surrender is set in the immediate aftermath of the death of a loved
one.
Megan (Colby Minifie) has recently returned home to help her
mother Barbara (Kate Burton) look after the family's terminally
ill patriarch Robert (Vaughn Armstrong). Megan also hopes to
get er hands on some money her father promised before he passes. The
mother and daughter have a fraught relationship to begin with (Megan
smokes in secret while Barbara similarly drinks out of her daughter's
sight), and it becomes exacerbated by their disagreements over how
Robert should be looked after. Influenced by her yoga instructor
"Debra" - who like Mrs Columbo, is often spoken of but never seen -
Barbara has embraced alternative medicine that borders on the occult,
with Megan shocked to find a "medicine bag" filled with human teeth
under her father's bed.
When Megan and Barbara's failure to communicate leads them to
accidentally give Robert an overdose of morphine, he passes away
during the night. In the morning, rather than calling for an
ambulance, Barbara reveals that she has another plan: Debra has
recommended a shaman (Neil Sandilands) who claims he can bring
the dead back to life. After initially flipping out, Megan decides to
go along with her mother's plan for the sake of keeping her happy.
Needless to say, things don't go exactly to plan.
Few movies have captured the unique stress of dealing with a sudden
death in the family as vividly as The Surrender. It brought me right back to the death of my father, when I was
surprised to discover how secretly spiritual my mother really was. I
didn't share her beliefs, but like Megan I went along with them for
her sake, but the last thing I wanted to be dealing with at such a
stressful time was the mumbo jumbo of the religious community. The
words they used to reassure my mother frankly sounded terrifying to my
atheist ears: "You'll be together again soon," "He'll always be with
you" and so on sent shivers down my spine. It might seem cold, but I
prefer the idea that the dead are dead and that's the end of it. The
notion that my parents might be spying on me from the beyond is
something that doesn't bear thinking about.
As such, viewers of The Surrender will be divided by their philosophies while watching Max's
debut. Some might hope it all goes to plan and Robert does come back
from the other side. The rest of us will be hoping the shaman is
exposed as a fraud and Barbara can finally see sense. What's clever
about The Surrender is that both parties will ultimately be challenged by the
direction it takes.
Some reviewers have said the film doesn't really kick in until the
final act when the shaman arrives and begins his black magic. I have
to disagree with such a take as I was gripped from the off by the
relationship between this mother and daughter. The horror genre is
long known for providing meaty parts for actresses over a certain age
and Burton (whom genre buffs will likely associate with Big Trouble in Little China) is gifted one of the roles of her life here. Her performance adds
layers of nuance to Barbara, making her far more complex than simply a
one-note victim of online rabbit holes. Minifie is equally good as a
daughter trying to balance her sense of reason with respect for her
mother's wishes. Max's script contains some astute nuggets of wisdom,
like how Barbara reveals to her daughter just what a flawed husband
Robert really was, but how she accepted his flaws regardless because
he also accepted hers: "That's what love is."
It's when the supernatural takes over that I began to lose interest,
as The Surrender begins to drift into all too familiar territory. The influence
of Lucio Fulci and Clive Barker can be seen in the vision of the other
side we're presented with here, but for all the initial
philosophising, the ultimate message is little more than "don't mess
with death." The final act of The Surrender is essentially a poor cousin of the similarly themed Irish
horror A Dark Song. After drawing us in with two beautifully realised female
characters, the movie devolves into a showcase for admittedly
impressive rubbery FX and some bloody body trauma. Ironically echoing
its ultimate warning, The Surrender works best when it keeps itself grounded and focussed on issues
of an earthly nature.
The Surrender is on Shudder
from May 23rd.
