The Babadook (2014) had an underlining meaning of a grieving single mother's struggle in raising a child in a ruthless society, all told through a horror genre. RELIC reveals the agony of dementia in a dark and twisted atmospheric visual and audio assault of the senses in a nightmarish tone.
Kay visits her neglected mother, Edna, who has gone missing. Kay's daughter, Sam, tags along and they are greeted with an old large home, perfect for a haunting. Edna's home has a life of its own, as seen through effective dark visuals and eerie sounds that mother and daughter encounter. They also notice hints of Edna's forgetfulness with post-it note reminders around the home.
A search begins for Edna, who eventually appears after a few days, just like coming out of a stint in the prison of dementia. Edna cannot recall her whereabouts, so mother and daughter quietly put it down to the beginning of Edna's mental disintegration.
This sets the motion of conflict between mother and daughter with issues of caring and the dreaded decision making of nursing homes. Meanwhile, Edna's mental state deteriorates as she eats away at the memories of photos and buries a photo album in the forest. Just like her memories being buried by the black muck that is growing through her body.
Edna's granddaughter is confronted by the horrors of the onset of her grandmother's dementia. Confused and frustrated she investigates the dark hole of the disease and finds herself trapped in a horrid maze within the nightmare realm of the home. In actual fact, Sam has fallen into the mind of her grandmother's dementia, experiencing the state of confusion and horror of the dreaded disease while fighting through scattered dead memories boxed up in the thin corridors of memories.
Kay has been observing Edna's onset of dementia in a silent stupor. Eventually she is forced to act in order to not only save her daughter, but Edna from self-harming. Mother and daughter manage to fight through the confronting maze of dementia, only to see Edna succumb to it and become an unrecognisable empty shell, similar to a monster. Kay is unable to walk away from it and accepts the outcome of Edna's now full-blown dementia.
Sam does not recognise her grandmother anymore, as is the effect of the disease. But what Sam discovers is the dark murky stain that was growing on her grandmother's body has now appeared on her mother, stating that this disease is hereditary, which is the real horror to this tale!
RELIC is a journey through the mindset of dementia, not only for the victim but for the loved ones coming to terms with it. All this delivered in a highly intelligent and subliminal work of perfect filmmaking.
Kay visits her neglected mother, Edna, who has gone missing. Kay's daughter, Sam, tags along and they are greeted with an old large home, perfect for a haunting. Edna's home has a life of its own, as seen through effective dark visuals and eerie sounds that mother and daughter encounter. They also notice hints of Edna's forgetfulness with post-it note reminders around the home.
A search begins for Edna, who eventually appears after a few days, just like coming out of a stint in the prison of dementia. Edna cannot recall her whereabouts, so mother and daughter quietly put it down to the beginning of Edna's mental disintegration.
This sets the motion of conflict between mother and daughter with issues of caring and the dreaded decision making of nursing homes. Meanwhile, Edna's mental state deteriorates as she eats away at the memories of photos and buries a photo album in the forest. Just like her memories being buried by the black muck that is growing through her body.
Edna's granddaughter is confronted by the horrors of the onset of her grandmother's dementia. Confused and frustrated she investigates the dark hole of the disease and finds herself trapped in a horrid maze within the nightmare realm of the home. In actual fact, Sam has fallen into the mind of her grandmother's dementia, experiencing the state of confusion and horror of the dreaded disease while fighting through scattered dead memories boxed up in the thin corridors of memories.
Kay has been observing Edna's onset of dementia in a silent stupor. Eventually she is forced to act in order to not only save her daughter, but Edna from self-harming. Mother and daughter manage to fight through the confronting maze of dementia, only to see Edna succumb to it and become an unrecognisable empty shell, similar to a monster. Kay is unable to walk away from it and accepts the outcome of Edna's now full-blown dementia.
Sam does not recognise her grandmother anymore, as is the effect of the disease. But what Sam discovers is the dark murky stain that was growing on her grandmother's body has now appeared on her mother, stating that this disease is hereditary, which is the real horror to this tale!
RELIC is a journey through the mindset of dementia, not only for the victim but for the loved ones coming to terms with it. All this delivered in a highly intelligent and subliminal work of perfect filmmaking.