I've always loved scary movies, which is really unfortunate because I do scare quite easily. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched a horror movie and then decided to sleep with the bedside light on for the rest of the night. What can I say? I like the rush of adrenaline, jumping at the silly and sometimes obvious jump scares and the comfort of horror movie troupes. Since it’s the spooky season, with halloween right around the corner here at FemFilmFear we’ve decided to celebrate the eerie season by reviewing shudder movies in alphabetical order. Starting with A for attachment the debut film by Danish director Gabriel Bier Gislason.
Attachment is a queer love story wrapped in a horror shell, it’s a romcom gone wrong that brings a fresh perspective by stepping away from the usual supernatural horror centered around Catholicism, which frankly feels overdone. Instead, Gislason reinvents this tired trope by giving it a Jewish twist. Attachment portrays Jewish culture with the same slightly playful, irreverent tone often seen in horror films with religious themes.
The story follows Leah, a Jewish academic, and Maja, a former Danish actress, who falls head over heels for each other after a meet-cute at the library. Things take a turn when Leah suffers a mysterious seizure and breaks her leg. Maja accompanies Leah to her home in London, where she lives in the same building as her mother, Chana, an overbearing woman bordering on possessive.
As leah recovers, Maja navigates cultural faux pas and is terrorized by a dark force in their apartment. The pressure mounts for the young couple as Maya become more and more concerned that Leahs mother could be a manipulating her daughter with dark magic.
From the start, the film's horror elements feels more like a tool used to explore female relationships and the interconnected lives of these three women. It delves into themes of abandonment, isolation, and, above all, the fear surrounding intimacy. This is especially evident in a scene where Chana warns Maja that loving someone too much can be dangerous.
The standout elements are definitely the cinematography, which creatively uses similar shots to show the progression of time, and the strong performances from the cast. However, for a horror film, it could benefit from a bit more...well, horror. If you're in the mood for a romance with a touch of supernatural foreboding, this one’s a solid choice. Overall, I found the film both fun and intriguing.
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