Relic Image

Relic

By Norman Gidney | July 9, 2020

NEW TO VIRTUAL CINEMAS! In the Australian horror movie Relic, Edna (Robyn Nevin) has not been acting like herself lately. At the start of the film, Gran, as Edna’s family calls her, is standing nude in the living room in the middle of the night. Mesmerized by the twinkling Christmas lights on her tree, she has totally forgotten that the bath is running upstairs. And what is that amorphous shadow lingering in the corner?

With a slow-burn approach, Relic explores the connection between three generations of women in the face of the painful, often frightening prospect of aging, and dementia, and the process of seeing your loved one succumb to disease. All of this told through the lens of a ghost story. Or is it a ghost story?

“…explores the connection between three generations of women in the face of the painful, often frightening prospect of aging and dementia…”

After Gran disappears again, the local police call her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer), who, along with her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote), drives in from Melbourne to see if they can find their missing Gran. After a day of searching her expansive home, and fearing the worst around every corner, they decide to stay should Gran return. Out of the blue, they find Gran putting on a kettle for tea in the kitchen. She has no recollection of where she was and won’t even talk about it. After Kay yells at her mother for not disclosing where she was, an instant alliance is formed between Gran and Sam.

This recovery is short-lived, though, as Gran begins having more aggressive moments of disorientation. That is followed by the discovery of a hidden hallway in the house. This hallway had been obscured by piles of clutter, and then comes a frightening thumping from above the fireplace. 

Relic (2020)

Directed: Natalie Erika James

Written: Natalie Erika James, Christian White

Starring: Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, Robyn Nevin, etc.

Movie score: 7/10

Relic Image

"…As much a drama as it is a horror film"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. […] Trans Lives on Screen, Feels Good Man, His House, Impetigore, Mucho Mucho Amor, Possessor, Relic, The 40-Year-Old Version, The Night House, The Shawl, Welcome to […]

Join our Film Threat Newsletter

Newsletter Icon