Plus, Nicola Correia-Damude commands the screen at all times and plays the mental breakdown of her character most believably. Ironside proves yet again that he is an underrated actor, especially with some line deliveries near the end of the movie. In the flashbacks, Stirpe imbues Katie with charm to spare. Munro Chambers, of Turbo Kid fame, has a small but memorable role and brings a shocking amount of gravitas to it. The entire cast delivers.
Add to that the co-directors impressive use of color and long, wordless takes and the viewer becomes hypnotized. If only they could have stuck the landing. For all the time spent on the religion (not sure if that is the right word), when all is revealed, it hardly factors in at all. Plus, the true culprit behind both Katie Owens’s disappearance and the more recent tragedies plaguing Sam leaves a million unanswered questions. The biggest is how. How did this person get so many people involved for decades in this charade? How come Sam is the subject of their ire?
“…impressive use of color and long, wordless takes and the viewer becomes hypnotized.”
A reason is given, but it does not work. I cannot explain more without spoiling all of Hellmington, but the ending fails so hard. It is not shocking, but rather disheartening. This “twist” feels more like it exists to have a twist as opposed to a natural extension of the story. Sam has little to nothing to do with some of the things this person is out to avenge. And for the elements she was involved in, she is not the main culprit of despair for this person. For all the goodwill the movie builds up before this, it leaves the viewer with a painfully sour taste in their mouth by the end.
Hellmington has so much to praise. The cast is excellent, the direction builds tension, the cinematography is exquisite, and the use of flashbacks keeps the momentum and intrigue high. It is too bloody bad then that the ending ruins everything that came before it. It creates so many more questions than it answers and completely negates an integral aspect of the story.
"…feels more like it exists to have a twist"
