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@kyle.watches.films
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Director Stacey Gregg’s debut feature effort is one of those films that almost defies genre, hitting both psychological thriller and kitchen sink realism beats as it examines themes of grief and loss.
Andrea Riseborough plays Laura, a Northern Irish housewife who mourns the death of her daughter. A family moves in next door, among them Megan (Niamh Dornan), a young girl who Laura strikes up a friendship with. But as they spend time together Megan reminds Laura of her daughter in oddly specific ways - she knows things about Megan’s life that should be impossible, leading Laura to question her sanity, wondering whether she has indeed known Megan before.
The film is incredibly atmospheric, with a minimalist score by Adam Janota Bzowski that underlines the characters’ emotions at just the right moments, becoming especially more effective as Laura’s mental health deteriorates. Similarly Chloë Thomson’s cinematography is incredibly evocative, be it Laura staring through a rain soaked windscreen, or Laura and her husband Brendan (Jonjo O’Neill) bathed in the the eery orange light of a streetlamp as they sleep. The music and cinematography work very well together to set the viewer on edge, and question what we’re seeing as much as Laura is.
Where the film stumbles slightly is in the pacing of its story - it’s a very slow burn (which is not always a bad thing) that often makes it feel longer than its 83 minutes, with a moody and slow middle that then rushes to a conclusion in the final act. There is a final twist that will surprise some in the audience but not all, being signposted at various points in the story. It’s also not entirely necessary, almost taking away from the themes being explored in some ways, and the ambiguous conclusion doesn’t quite fit as a result.
All this being said, the film is held together - most notably by Riseborough, in an incredibly strong performance that perfectly encapsulates a grief-stricken mother desperate to see her daughter again. She gives the story the weight it needs, making ‘Here Before’ a film definitely worth watching.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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