Heading into witnessing the twisted mastery that is The Lodge, I had not even seen a trailer. That is rare for me, considering what I do for a living. Little did I know, in hindsight, that was the best gift for experiencing the spooky surrealism that is the latest film from the pair that gave us Goodnight Mommy, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz.
Wanting my readers to experience that same level of shock and awe, there will be less plot reveals than usual in this review, but if you are curious about witnessing The Lodge and want to go in cold like I did, just know this and then stop reading. It’s a supremely slow burn, but one that will have your soul all sorts of on fire by the conclusion and in the best of ways. Now, I will not report any spoilers and any plot details in any kind of depth, but I do have to review this thing, so here goes.
Currently, things are difficult for Mia (Lia McHugh) and her brother Aiden (It star Jaeden Martell). Their parents, Richard (Richard Armitage) and Laura (Alicia Silverstone) are divorcing. Making things even more thorny is dad has a new lady in his life, Grace (Riley Keough). They soon will marry. Hoping to expediate the “getting to know you” process with his kids, Grace comes up with the idea of the four of them heading to Richard’s cabin, aka The Lodge, a few days before Christmas. He will head back to Boston for work, leaving the kiddos and their potential new stepmom alone for a few days of fun and frolic before daddy returns on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holiday.
Tonally, Franz and Fiala establish a thread of uncertainty from the get-go as Mia and Aiden discover something about Grace that they hide from their father. That firmly establishes a raised eyebrow from the audience that colors how we approach each twist and turn throughout—and that is impeccably done on purpose. Anytime a filmmaker can have their audience questioning what is real and what is in someone’s head, it is pure gold, especially in a film living within the confines of this horror/psychological thriller milieu. Also adding questionable merits to Grace’s standing with the viewers is her frequent use of a mystery medication that she always seems to run to when the going gets emotionally tough. What is she ingesting and exactly why was it prescribed?
The stellar DP work by Thimios Bakatakis is priceless throughout The Lodge. There’s an air of mystery to exactly where this cabin is located. We notice in the first few frames that everyone’s cars have Massachusetts plates. It is revealed that this lodge is a four to five hour drive, north. Knowing New England as well as I do, that subconsciously has me—at least—picturing Grace and her soon-to-be step kids in the middle of nowhere in Vermont or New Hampshire, just minutes from the Canadian border. The weather plays a major factor here as well. Given that this is the week of Christmas, and snow and winds just keep howling throughout the film, Bakatakis and the helmers gave me, personally, the feeling as if these three are stuck in a snow globe and can’t get out. Of course, that is not the big reveal, it’s simply the “feel” that permeates throughout—both emotively and physically. With each passing moment, the bite of the cold feels fiercer, civilization becomes more distant and things that were absolutely real, well those are slowly but surely slipping into questionable territory.
The Lodge makes good use of its script by providing Fiala and Franz a terrific palate from which to paint a mind-melding movie. The duo also wrote the script (with Sergio Casci) and its use of silence is flawless. We all have experienced family strife or friends who are splitting up and that leaves the personal dynamic of a myriad of players in any given situation firmly in downtown awkwardness. Toss in a spooky sentiment that is firmly layered throughout the film and what filmmakers have delivered a mental movie obstacle course that will leave you exhausted, haunted and when those credits roll—don’t be surprised if you are looking at the room you’re in and questioning what is real and what is merely a figment of your imagination. Those are the best kind of thrillers, the ones that get inside your head, play on your fears and our varying collective familial backgrounds and in the end, leave us hanging to conclude how we believe things got wrapped up … or did it at all?!
Keough supremely impresses with her turn that requires the actress do much more with her actors’ toolkit than simply uttering dialogue. The crux of her characterization must arise from facial gestures and even how she carries her frame in various moments throughout The Lodge. Heck, even her deliberate movement of her fingers, or lack of hand movements, may seem like throw-away aspects of her performance, but they could not be more premeditated. The granddaughter of Elvis Presley has been making a name for herself and admirably chose her father Danny’s surname instead of her mother’s (Lisa Marie Presley). She loses herself in every role she inhabits and her latest is no different. After dazzling in supporting roles in Logan Lucky and Mad Max: Fury Road, the thespian should find her phone buzzing off the hook with leading offers after folks walk away from The Lodge a stunned movie goer.
So much of whether this concept works or not, not only lies with Keough, but with her young co-stars. McHugh and Martell are absolutely up for the task. I’m reminded of something a helmer once told me about kids and scary or seemingly tough scenes. They know it is make believe and they are the ones having the most fun with it on sets. That had to be the case with Martell and McHugh because their fear, dread, disdain and every other emotion descriptor came through fiercely from each performer in such a way that their volley with Keough divinely drives the drama throughout the film—adding countless layers of emotive power.
Some, with low patience, may get frustrated with The Lodge. There’s the whole set-up that may seem hard to grapple with, i.e. how many fathers would leave their kids alone with a future stepmom for several days that those kiddos want nothing to do with? But, if one can get past that criticism, the film knows its cinematic place and never strays from it. In fact, it puts the pedal to the metal in that lane and hopefully will inspire some aspiring tale tellers to put their fingers to work on those keyboards. This is an approachable film. As such, it should inspire many to rightfully believe that they could pen a script that is also one they could shoot themselves. The set here, for the most part, is the titular house. But the horror and dread all comes from the mind and as such, there are infinite possibilities for anyone with an imagination to scare us silly.
Fiala and Franz sure did.
Grade: A-