Mum & Dad (2008)
Starring Perry Benson, Dido Miles & Olga Fedori
Directed by Steven Sheil
Written by Steven Sheil
I love blood and gore. The more there is in a movie the better. It doesn't bother me or freak me out at all, usually....there are exceptions to this however and Brit indie flick 'Mum and Dad ' is one of them!I watched it ,in silence and disbelief from start to finish. Afterwords, I kept thinking back to it - the sign of a good movie in my book and in this case an extremely disturbing one, too. It has certainly made its mark on me!
The 2008 debut of writer/director Steven Sheil, 'Mum and Dad' tells the story of Polish immigrant Lena, who works as a cleaner at Heathrow Airport. The film really begins when she misses her last bus home and so accepts an offer from fellow worker Birdie, to stay at her house for the night instead. This very nearly seals Lena's fate and what ensues is a shocking foray into Birdie's twisted, deranged 'family life'. Knocked unconscious upon her arrival at Birdies home, Lena awakens to her very own personal Hell, where Mum and Dad give new meaning to laying down the law, patriarch style! Torture and abuse are the norm in this household and Lena is the 'darling new arrival'.
The film works on two pivotal levels; a no-holds-barred approach to horror and violence with strong sexual undertones (Dad masturbating with an unfortunate victims flesh anyone?!) and a very nasty web of mind games being played out as Lena comes to realize her staying alive depends on earning Mum and Dad's trust and thus a place within the 'family'.There is rich character development throughout and everyone has their role from Lena (new addition) to Birdie (jealous older sibling) to overbearing Mum.
As a viewer, you soon get drawn into this strange suburban charade, where mealtimes are eaten round the table - with explicit porn on TV in the background - and punishments include being put into a suitcase and then beaten with a mallet. Whatever happened to grounding the kids?
As Lena begins to realize her chances of survival are increasingly waning, she starts to subtly fight back and make the transition from timid immigrant to plucky young woman. At times the atmosphere is so taut that i found myself biting my nails to the quick! An omnipresent feeling of claustrophobia is expertly built up throughout, created by some really superb camera work, which helps to give the film an art house feel. The sharp script also puts 'Mum and Dad' head and shoulders above your standard horror movie.
*** HERE BE SPOILERS ***
By the time the end credits rolled i was breathing a sigh of relief - Lena, our heroine, escapes (but I wonder how much of her sanity is still intact after such an ordeal!) and leaves a bloody mess in her wake, in a spectacular finale.
** HERE END SPOILERS ***
Despite showing some of the most horrific gore I've seen in modern cinema for sometime (look out for the Christmas 'decoration' in particular!), this little gem manages to get right under the viewers skin and the seeming normality of Mum, Dad et al are all the more terrifying because you could imagine them being your neighbour, workmate or (god forbid) friend! It also reminded me of infamous serial killers such as Fred and Rosemary West - the monsters in this film aren't the boogie men under the bed, they are made of flesh and blood like you and I! It truly turns the concept of family on its head and leaves a very nasty taste in your mouth for days after you have seen it.
Its quite interesting to note that 'Mum and Dad' was in part funded by the U.K National Lottery. Hmmm, certainly makes a change from their usual projects aimed at 'giving back to the community'. How ironic! Money well spent I think!
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mia