Kyle Gallner (scream, smile) and Holland Roden (Teen Wolf: The Movie, Ted Bundy: American Monsters) to address some major mommy concerns Mom, can I? It’s a throwback film that may or may not be about possession, and leans toward complex psychological horror. Fortunately, writer-director Laurence Vannicelli’s (porn, young housefly) to keep the plot steady in an exciting movie requires you to be as mentally shaken as possible.
Oh, this episode is full of promise. Emmet’s (Galner) mother dies, and he’s quick to clean up the house and flip it over. His fiancée Anya (Roden) sees this as an opportunity to heal his past and their relationship. Emmett isn’t interested in this at first, but like any good psychological thriller, our protagonist doesn’t always get his way.What Happened, and How Emmett and Anya Cope mom, can i? , captivating enough, though the movie doesn’t always get where you feel it wants to be. Still, there’s more than enough creepy thrills here to thrill viewers.
Mom, can I get healing from you?
Perhaps writer/director Lawrence Vannicelli was intent on showing two characters who clearly could be ideal archetypal children for deep therapy and resolution of their own issues. Emmett’s mother abandoned him when he was a child, and he never got over the trauma. Meanwhile, Anya’s mother was a strict psychiatrist, and her childhood was filled with unwanted emotions. These are two open emotional wounds that lead people to disaster.
We quickly learn that Emmett and Anya have been working through some of their issues with the chair rotation. The method found them swapping chairs and pretending to be another person, perhaps as a form of reflection. It sets the stage for what happens next: On a “mushroom-changing” night, Anya unexpectedly starts acting like Emmet’s mother, Tracy. It was all eccentric but bearable at first, but by morning Anya was still acting like Tracy, the embodiment of womanhood — from start to finish.
Tracey is a dancer as well as an elitist, so it was so much fun to see Roden step into her emotional shoes and essentially play two very different characters in this movie. After all, we never “met” Tracy. Our experience of her through Anya makes it clear that this woman is a work of art. No wonder Emmet needed a hug.
Bottom line; Emmett wants Anya to stop acting. But what is “action”? This kind of thing goes on for a while, and every turn, Emmett is forced to sit through his core wounds so he can deal with them and move on. Will he? He’s not opposed to fighting back. Even if it’s his, uh, “mom.”
A “too many mushrooms?”
Vannicelli does a good job of “The Mushroom Experience,” because, well, are we supposed to believe that Anya is still in a “mushroom-induced state,” or that Tracy has her outright? To do this, the director keeps the audience guessing, without resorting to huge shocking thrills. He just puts things in the middle, thereby allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about the events happening before us. if you remember, nanny, Writer-director Nikyatu Jusu employed a similar technique on last year’s hit indie film.
Something else that stands out is the film’s deliberately claustrophobic atmosphere. Chris Mulkey stars as a distant neighbor who provides information to Emmett and Anya to drive the plot forward, but much of the film is in the hands of the two leads. Gallner has everyman’s appeal and seems to have a wave of good roles on the field. Roden shines in a complex role, showing her depth. There’s no doubt that Emmett and Anya have a lot to work through — especially after spending time at Mom’s house — but there’s also a struggle. about this point……
Therapy and personal transformation aren’t always “fun.” It takes work. After all, this is work. We can connect with Emmett. I mean, who wants to energize and dig deep into their own core wounds? Fannicelli effectively captures this struggle, but also manages to suggest to you that there is much more going on here than we realize.True or not, somehow Mom, can I? Works, but one has to wonder if the average audience will want to be there the whole way. Some won’t. Most people will probably stick with it. The ending delivered some chills, and thankfully, Gallner and Roden effectively portrayed flawed people. Keep an eye out for these two. They’re sure to make waves in other stories.
Mom, can I? From Dark Sky Films in select theaters and digitally on July 21.
