The Lodge
I’m surprised this didn’t get a wider release. I think I saw a trailer for it a little while back and didn’t hear about it again. Well, the wonders of AMC A-List (and also living in NYC) is being able to check out a larger variety of films. I watched Franz and Fiala’s previous film, Goodnight Mommy and quite liked it and its twisted premise. With The Lodge we get a sort of thematically similar film, mainly praised for the atmosphere it creates. Anchored by a strong performance by Riley Keough, The Lodge is a decent watch.
The film is about two children who recently lost their mother to suicide by gun. They dislike their fathers new girlfriend and reluctantly go on a getaway to a lodge with her and their father. Their father goes away on a business trip leaving the kids with the new girlfriend. Strange things happen and a dark past is brought up, which blurs the lines of reality and something much more grim.
The filmmakers do well with the winter cold and the desolate isolation presented by the setting of The Lodge. Its a dark film with a score that jars at times. Even the backdrop of a woman trying to escape her past in a religious cult and now needing to repent, its dark stuff. Though I don’t feel like the film always hits especially in later portions of the film its worth watch the performance by Riley Keough who delivers her best screen performance to date.
I’ve liked Riley from when I first saw her on The Girlfriend Experience and have tried to watch everything she’s been in since then. This marks tremendous growth for her where she gets to show off her talent. The film isn’t as good as Goodnight Mommy but is an atmospheric horror film that is an entertaining watch. I just wish it didn’t borrow so much from horror films (like Hereditary with the dollhouse representing the family, that was a clear thing that was taken from it).
6.5/10
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