Film Review: Sator

Sator is described and sold as a horror film, but it’s nature is far more personal than one might initially expect. It comes from writer/director, Jordan Graham, who also shot, scored, and edited the film, and it draws heavily from the experiences from his family, specifically with his grandmother, her mother, and her mother’s mother. They supposedly hear these auditory hallucinations, voices, one from an entity that they refer to as “Sator.” It could perhaps be easily explained away as mental illness, but the phenomenon has left a major impression on Graham as he brings a fictionalized take on this piece of his family history.

The film itself revolves around Adam (Gabe Nicholson), who lives in a secluded cabin. He’s always checking his deer cam, but never seems to find what he’s looking for. He has his rifle at the ready, making practice shots on empty beer bottles in his free time, and occasionally gets a visit from his brother, Pete (Michael Daniel), who lives nearby with their sister, Evie (Rachel Johnson). However, the family member he seems to gravitate more towards is his grandma, Noni, who is played by June Peterson, Graham’s real grandma. And the film incorporates real old home videos of Peterson talking about Sator throughout the film.

The film doesn’t make it completely clear that this story is drawn from personal history, I have the benefit of being given a press release where a lot of this info was laid out for me. I have a feeling the film wouldn’t work as strongly without this knowledge, as the way the film interweaves fact and fiction is one of the most interesting things about it. There’s a real sense that the film is like a near literal way of Graham battling his family’s demons, and how that plays into the plot makes for a fascinating watch.

Although, the lack of context or some of the ambiguous plot elements might end up being the last of viewer’s worries. The film is very slowly paced, taking its time in establishing its atmosphere, and interpersonal relationships. The first half could prove especially tedious for anyone not prepared, especially given how much of the dialogue is done with a very low, mumbling fashion. There were moments where I couldn’t understand what some of the characters were saying.

That said, there is a quiet intensity that runs through the film, and once the second half kicks in, Graham brings in more overt horror elements, and the tension really begins to shine through. The music is appropriately foreboding, and Graham has a way of capturing the forest around the cabin in a way that is unsettling and visually dynamic. When Graham goes out of his way to scare you, it really is effective and terrifying. Even if it’s hard to fully grasp what might be going on, and how much of what we’re seeing is a full on psychological breakdown or actions of a genuine supernatural being, there is enough here to make it compelling.

I can imagine Sator being a hard watch for a lot of people, and in a couple different ways. In one sense, it is a slow and ponderous film that deals in many ambiguities and unclear answers. In another, it can be a hard watch for anyone who has dealt with family members who have a mental illness, or have an older family member with dementia. It captures the confusion, sadness, and frustration that one might feel in a family situation like that. If the methodical pacing isn’t something that will bother you, it’s one that is worth looking into. While I’m not entirely sure if it all totally comes together, but I can confidently say that it’s a very unique film, one that comes from a deep, personal space, and the vision that Jordan Graham brings to life is unlike anything I’ve seen from either mainstream or indie horror spaces.

Sator is now out on VOD platforms.