La casa

Animation is superlative. The problem is with the scripts. The first story was good but had an abrupt ending. The rest two were pretty bad except for one or two funny dialogues.

I just finished my first 2022 title, and it was hypnotically weird "The House" streaming on Netflix and produced by Nexus Studios, i can't recommend it enough. It is wildly ambitious triptych, which uses stop motion animation to explore peculiar inhabitants in a house through different periods of time and worlds. All the stories take place at the same house, across different eras exploring the theme of home, capitalism, existential crisis, dreams and emptiness as the living are reduced to inanimate entities.

In Emma de Swaef & Marc James Roels opening act, "And Heard Within. A Lie Is Spun," it is a gothic tale with all the classic haunted house genre troupes. We follow the Raymond family who abandon their modest lifestyle and relocate to a luxurious mansion nearby, it belongs to Van Schoonbeek, a mysterious and faceless architect. What follows is the supernatural drama which is developed in a very interesting labyrinth like narrative. There are so many moments but everything is presented with an indispensable horror subtext. Even the furniture and the mundanity of Raymond family does accentuate the atmosphere of the film. It is normal but disturbing with eerie soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla. My pick and my favourite in this three-part anthological film.

The second chapter, directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr's is titled "Then Lost is Truth that Can't be Won," set in the modern world, at the centre of the story is an anthropomorphic rat. He is now the developer for the Van Schoonbeek's estate and desperately hopes for a good buyer. He is disillusioned with the way his life unfolds and is bombarded with calls from the bank. He is enthusiastic about the unannounced visit of a couple who show interest to buy the house but later finds out their motive. This leads to all sorts of miscommunication and strife with the strange visitors. From there, a Kafkaesque labyrinth is built based on the home invasion genre and it is impossible for the protagonist to recover. The existential crisis increases with the passing of days, it turns out the person (darling) who he speaks over phone is his dentist. He is plagued by bugs and in the midst of all the stuff, there is Busby Berkeley-esque dance number for the vermin. It is funny and sad but never taking itself too seriously but reveals the obsession which cost the protagonist everything. In order to not give away everything, i don't want to reveal much.

The concluding chapter, directed by Paloma Baeza "Listen Again and Seek The Sun" is set in a post-apocalyptic flooded wasteland and the setting serves as the backdrop for the Van Schoonbeek estate. A fed-up landlady (Rosa) has to put up with the antics of her laid back tenants - Jen and Elias who never pay their rent in money but through crystal stone and fish. Jen is visited by her partner Cosmos and this irks Rosa. Nevertheless, she agrees to offer accommodation in return to restore the dilapidated house. This decision turns the life of the landlady completely upside down resulting in a bittersweet ending. This chapter is a hodgepodge and doesn't seem to fit with the tone of the previous two. It also blends humour and emotion well with little room for surrealism.

Minor quibbles aside, i'm happy that Netflix backed this experiment. I was surprised when a niche series like Brand New Cherry Flavor was sold to the mainstream. I was so impressed with The Summit of the Gods (2021) and The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021). I hope they can assemble many more such experiments and balance it with a commercially clickbait titles too.

Overall, If you are into stop-motion animation, this is a must watch. Those who can appreciate surrealism from a purely visual point of view, i bet you won't be disappointed by this film. If you happen to love this, i recommend a list of underrated filmmakers who have some amazing stop motion titles to their credit: Lee Hardcastle, Robert Morgan, Christiane Cegavske, Jirí Barta, Regina Pessoa, Suzan Pitt, Tadanari Okamoto, Tomoki Misato, Izabela Plucinska, Siqi Song, Daria Kashcheeva, Jan Balej, Dave Borthwick, Martha Colburn, Phil Tippett, Cesar Cabral, Katariina Lillqvist, Takeshi Yashiro, Jirí Trnka, Brothers Quay, Len Lye, Anna Solanas, Bruce Bickford, Marc Riba, Jan Lenica, Keita Kurosaka, Ujicha, Joaquín Cocina and Cristobal Leon worth checking out in that regards.

The stop animation is definitely beautiful. There was a lot of attention to detail and love poured into it.

The story itself was interesting. The first chapter has that mystery olden horror into it, and I kinda thought it would play out more twisty then what we actually got.

Second chapter was both hilarious and sad, with kinda a fitting ending.

The third chapter was also well done. Helena Bonham Carter was a gem in it.

Overall the story and theme can be interpreted in anyway or taken straight as a whole story. Definitely didn't regret watching this movie. Hoping they make more with more twisty story.

This film contains 3 different and rather unique tales. First off I'd like to say - it's a very weird piece so it's not gonna be for everyone, and on Netflix it says 13+ but definitely don't watch it with children if you don't want to traumatise them. I'd say it's 16+ at the very least. It's not gory or violent by any means but it can be unsettling and very eerie at times, especially the first story. Now onto the review..

First: the creepy

This one is about how people tend to give themselves up for social expectations/money and the unmatiralistic purity of children. Its a rather sad tale but above everything it's an unsettling one. It's atmosphere is very eerie and to me it was visually, it looks like the distorted version of an old European cartoon, it sent chills down my spine the entire time, and though the story is kind of predictable, it managed to keep menon my toes. 8/10

Second: the fun

I couldn't quite grasp what this one was about, and to me this was the least entertaining out of the three. However it was quirky with a fun sense of humour so overall I did enjoy it. This one was interesting visually as well but it didn't stand out as much.

Side note/warning - if you have a fear of bugs you'll hate this one. 6/10

Third: the heartwarming

This story had a rather positive message about letting go of one's fear of change, taking a leap of faith instead of fixating on the past and the routines. It had a very nice/interesting atmosphere and it felt very humane to me. It was visually pleasing but nothing really unique. It's a nice closure to the previous stories, by the end it leavs the wiever with a good taste in yotheir mouth. 9/10.

This film is one of the most well-crafted films I have ever seen. Every single frame is so precise in the details. I really hope that other filmmakers are inspired by this type of creativity, and use this styling in their own films.

The stories themselves were weirdly unsettling, and although I wouldn't classify it as a horror, many elements seemed as though they were inspired from some nightmarish dream. Although I am sure many audiences will find that they prefer a certain "story" (or generation) above the others - as each story seems to be specifically catered to a certain demographic - each story is unique in its story telling and compelling enough to make you keep watching.

I highly recommend this film, it is a great watch and surely worth your time. It is much better than 95% of the current content on Netflix by far.