THE LODGE - MIFF 2019

Aidan and Mia's father, Richard, is on the verge of marrying his new girlfriend, and like most young kids of a broken marriage, they are not happy about it. They blame the girl, Grace, for their parent's break-up and hate the fact that she is “replacing” their mother. As such, Aidan and Mia totally rebel against Grace, refusing to talk to her, let alone trying to get to know her. However with Christmas approaching, their father has decided enough is enough. Grace is a part of his life and will need to be a part of theirs, and so he organises time away together at an isolated cabin at the snow. It gives Grace and the kids time to know each other better while she looks after them, before Richard returns to them all (he has to work in the lead up before Christmas) to celebrate Christmas together. To say the early times are rough would be an understatement to the fullest, but as time goes on, both Aidan and Mia start to realise that Grace isn't the ogre they have made her out to be, and eventually start to accept and interact with her. However, after finally thawing the ice between them, the three of them are forced into a situation where they must rely on one another, as some very strange things start happening at the lodge they are staying at.

This is the second feature film from writer/directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, after their much loved and well regarded German language debut “Goodnight Mommy”. This time around though, whilst still sticking to their horror roots, “The Lodge” is an English language feature. While “Goodnight Mommy” is quite well liked by fans of the genre, personally it was an odd situation for me watching that film because literally within the first three minutes of the film, I had worked out its twist. I do not say this to brag or anything, but rather to highlight that I do not think I had the same experience as most while watching “Goodnight Mommy”. I missed out on being manipulated before the rug was pulled out from underneath my feet, so in that regard, I do not think I got to experience the best of Fiala and Franz, even though I could see that they had obvious talent within the genre. It was because of this talent that I was looking forward to seeing their new film, but I was seriously hoping that the same thing would not happen again with “The Lodge”, and thankfully it did not.

“The Lodge” is a film with a number of twists and turns and I plan on not ruining any of them. That said, it is filled with a lot of disparate horror elements (such as revenge story, religious cults, ghost story and psychological horror) that shouldn't really come together but surprisingly does in a fairly realistic way. It is a little hokey at times, but overall the story works. It is a slow burn horror film with the scares being more reliant on mood and atmosphere rather than basic jump scares, and the location where the majority of the film is set helps enormously in creating this uneasy atmosphere.

I am a big fan of horror movies set during winter or around the snow. The main reason I think is because these elements usually increase the feeling of isolation, which “The Lodge” certainly exploits. The other reason is from a purely aesthetic point of view; the snow on the trees, houses and objects, always looks great, as does the bright red on the pure white, when blood is inevitably spilled on it. Speaking of the film's visuals, Franz and Fiala have shot “The Lodge” in a very interesting fashion with everything very angular and long. There are very few curves in the film, with sharp corners preferred which is then accentuated by either vertical or horizontal lines, which gives off a feeling of extra length. Rooms feel more like hallways, and ceilings are often visible. I am assuming this has been done to create a sense of claustrophobia, or of the walls closing in the longer time passes. Whether or not this is the intention, I'm not sure, but it is certainly interesting and gives “The Lodge” a unique feel. The other thing worth mentioning is the lack of colour in the film. Naturally the snow covered landscapes of the film are perfect for this approach, but it almost plays like a black and white film, with the bare minimum of colour appearing from time to time.

Riley Keough is the star of “The Lodge” and plays Grace; a woman in charge of protecting a couple of children who want nothing to do with her. I felt that early on Keough was great in the film, as she (unsuccessfully) tries to bond with the kids, whilst not blind to the fact that it is a difficult transition for them both. She never plays Grace as the stereotypical evil stepmom, but as someone who genuinely wants to get to know Aidan and Mia, and to be a part of their lives. Grace is a woman who has her own demons from her childhood, and Keough does a good job of showing that even now she struggles with them at times. However it is when these demons start to take hold of Grace that I feel Keough's performance falters slightly. She becomes less believable in these moments, which is a shame as these moments are the most narratively rich. The highlight of “The Lodge” would be the wonderful performances from Jaeden Lieberher and Lia McHugh, who play Aidan and Mia respectively. They are both excellent and at times really come across as brats, but it is the brother/sister relationship that they make so convincing, that holds the film together. The love and care for each other feels so true, and the way Aidan protects his little sister at all times is beautiful and comes from an honest place. Franz and Fiala dealt extensively with family connections in “Goodnight Mommy” as well, so it is obvious one of the pair's strengths.

My misgivings in regards to “The Lodge” is that by the end of it, it feels very mean spirited. The film goes down a path that is quite messed up and equally as depressing. When the main secret is finally revealed, I agree that it is all very silly, but its the resultant implications and reactions to this silliness that is the true horror of “The Lodge” and what makes the film stand out. At the same time though, it also adds to the mean spiritedness of it all that I mentioned above. I understand that the above statement is vague at best, but I am attempting to keep the film's secrets just that. While definitely a horror film, “The Lodge” isn't very bloody. When violence occurs, it happens quick and has devastating results, just like in real life. There are no “fun” blood and gore gags here; rather you feel the violence being perpetrated.

Overall “The Lodge” turned out to be a pretty good horror flick. Franz and Fiala have paced the film deliberately to increase tension and atmosphere and have done a great job at portraying family relationships in a state of flux. Whilst the ultimate reveal borders on the silly, it is the resulting effects of the reveal that give the end its strength and that make the film so haunting. While certainly flawed, I enjoyed “The Lodge” a lot but imagine that it wont be a film for all horror fans.

3.5 Stars.