I feel like we’re really getting to a point where these indie atmospheric and metaphorical slow burn horror films are starting to blend together. I don’t want to go as far as to say Relic is the straw that broke the camel’s back in that regard, but it is becoming easier and easier to take notice of all the same old tricks and beats that have been appearing in these kinds of films again and again. This isn’t necessarily a knock on the overall quality of the film because there are plenty of admirable elements
The film follows a mother and daughter, Kay (Emily Mortimer) and Sam (Bella Heathcote), who drive out to grandma Edna’s (Robyn Nevin) house where she is nowhere to be found. The house is a mess, and weird post-it notes are everywhere. After a few days, Edna finally shows up one morning, and acting as if nothing has happened, constantly changing the subject, and not addressing the dark bruise on her chest. Kay considers sending her mother to an assisted living facility, though Sam is not as enthused about the idea. But as they spend time in the house, Kay and Sam become disturbed by strange occurrences that seem to involve Edna.
It becomes clear early on that the big thematic idea that the film hones in on is the effects of dementia, not just on the person afflicted with it, but how it affects the people around them. Edna shows signs of sudden mood swings, memory loss, major changes in personality and behavior, as well as all the typical bodily deterioration that comes with aging, and those changes are very much reflected in the strange occurrences in the house itself, which begins to be full of sickly black molds, which slowly envelops the entire home.
I have had some personal experience with seeing a close relative slowly deteriorate, though in their case, it was mostly physical and not mental. I don’t think that experience is really necessary to connect with the themes here because it does tap into those anxieties of dealing with age, and the thought of how one might be affected by similar ailments. Though, I am not entirely convinced that the film does an adequate job at extending its empathy to Edna as much as it does with Sam and Kay. Because it stays in their perspective, it unintentionally equates the experiences of many older people into literally turning into a monster, which seems a touch…insensitive.
Again, that’s not to say there aren’t admirable elements. Co-writer and director, Natalie Erika James, who also makes her feature debut here, is great at creating a sense of dread, and maintaining it through the course of the entire film. The score from Brian Reitzell really accentuates the mood with these eerie, pulsating, droning beats that underline many intense sequences throughout the film. By the time it gets to the third act, things do get more visually interesting, even if the actual plot mechanics feel all too familiar.
What ultimately makes Relic compelling enough is the three central performances. Mortimer, Heathcote, and Nevin have a compelling dynamic, and they really sell the reality of the situation, both in the more grounded moments of fear over a loved one’s mental state, and in the moments of absolute terror. I think Natalie Erika James does show quite a bit of promise as a filmmaker, and I think, given more interesting material, she could really make something special. However, my experience with Relic was mostly just frustrating. Frustrating at seeing good work in service of a script and a style of horror filmmaking that no longer feels as fresh as it did when The Babadook came out in 2014. There’s a delicate balance in telling stories driven by real and relatable drama through genre filmmaking, and Relic shows the limitations of making a film that only really works as pure metaphor and not much else, and even as a metaphor, it’s offers little room for interpretation. For those who have the patience for this, it’s perfectly good enough as another one of these films. I certainly don’t regret watching it, but I don’t feel like I experienced anything new, or found a different way to look at something, which is disappointing.