Starve Acre, 2024.
Written and Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo.
Starring Matt Smith, Morfydd Clark, Erin Richards, Sean Gilder, Robert Emms, and Roger Barclay.
SYNOPSIS:
An idyllic rural family life of a couple is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting out of character.
Not only taking place at some point in the 1970s in Yorkshire, writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo’s Starve Acre (based on the book by Andrew Michael Hurley) also has the feel of an atmospheric 70s horror film, with grainy images and an ominous chill in tone and weather practically radiating off the screen. From the opening moments, the filmmaker and cinematographer Adam Scarth) establish the vastness of the manor and surroundings of the titular Starve Acre, a forest rooted in a folkloric, potentially demonic ancient tree’s supernatural powers. Several distant shots capture endless land to elevate that dread, causing concern about how much of this land is cursed for whoever digs deep into its history.
For the fractured relationship between Richard and Juliette (Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, each delivering subdued, drained performances grounding the supernatural aspect into real emotions and conflict that somehow still feels believable even during the unhinged finale), taking an interest in this legend amounting to a familial sacrifice in the name of this tree comes for different reasons. Their troubled young son Owen (Arthur Shaw) has also been curious about those stories, although it’s unclear if he hears about them from his own curiosity or from Gordon (Sean Gilder), an elderly villager who traffics in such mythological tales.
Considering that Owen is prone to violent outbursts, stabbing out an animal’s eye while unsupervised early in the film, it’s evident that, to quote iconic cartoon character Hank Hill, something about the boy ain’t right. Meanwhile, Richard somewhat denies this, not because he truly believes there is nothing wrong with the child but more as a means of not wanting to become like his abusive father, who also had an obsessive interest in this demonic folklore. Nevertheless, tragedy strikes and the story spins itself out there, unquestionably taking inspiration from a classic of the genre and, possibly, a more recent similar take on what follows.
Juliette’s sister Harrie (Erin Richards) visits hoping to help her cope but mostly finds herself uncertain of occultist ideologies and practices being explored to process grief. Meanwhile, Richard retreats deeper into the folkloric lore and his father’s research, eventually discovering the power of this land. Without revealing what it is, this is the kind of black magic life-changing dynamic with the ability to simultaneously bring their love back together while also pushing them into a different kind of no-going-back disturbing behavior. While the central performances ooze the same eeriness of the narrative’s concept and the sinister score from Matthew Herbert that is invasive but never overwhelming, amplifying the creepy suspense on display, speaking about that story in vague terms is necessary since it is an otherwise confounding experience until one’s suspicions are confirmed.
Starve Acre succeeds as an unsettling tale of grief, but some of that unnerving tension would potentially be lost if one knew where it was going, which is all a testament in itself, considering this is a narrative of familiar components smashed together. It takes a while to build that suspense, typically with a slow burn artsy approach that might have too much burn here, but it does erupt in a WTF climax that likely won’t be forgotten for its violence, dark themes, and taboo imagery.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
