The Front Room

There has to be a better way to introduce a campy thriller without pretending to be serious. I think from the beginning if I knew it was slapstick horror, I may have been able to digest it as it was. After too many scenes featuring feces, urine, and farting one has to wonder why a treasure such a Brandy thought this is the role to sink her teeth into. If it were a serious horror, I would understand. But for what this is, it's for some one of a C-Level of celebrity. The actress that played the stepmother was very entertaining considering the brand of story telling. The premise of the old trope of the evil stepmother seemed very promising and relatable and unfortunately a ball was dropped.

The Front Room marks the directorial debut of twin brothers Max and Sam Eggers. Their big bro Robert's debut, The Witch, back in 2015 marked him as one of the most exciting talents of his generation and his reputation has only grown since then. This film does no such thing for the twins but it is a fairly interesting Psychological thriller.

Singer/actress Brandy plays Belinda, a pregnant anthropology professor who quits her job after she gets sick of her condescending (and possibly racist) treatment at work. This puts her and husband Norman (Andrew Burnap) in a financial bind but they are given a potential lifeline in the form of Norman's astranged stepmother Solange (Kathryn Hunter). Elderly and frail, Solange needs somewhere to live following the death of Norman's father and offers the couple access to her considerable finances in exchange for them taking her in. Norman is against the idea as Solange is a religious nut who made his childhood hell and thinks she has divine powers but Belinda reasons they need the money and time has probably mellowed his former tormentor. Turns out the couple may have bitten off more than they can chew however, and Belinda finds herself in a battle of wills, spirituality and weaponised incontinence.

The main reason to see The Front Room is the performances of central duo Brandy and Kathryn Hunter. Belinda suffers indignaties at every turn and is at various points in the film frustrated, afraid, hurt and overwhelmed but Brandy instils her with a steeliness that lets the audience know she's never out for the count. Restrained and composed (to a point) she keeps proceedings grounded. If Brandy is the film's anchor then Hunter is its soaring kite, giving a gloriously over the top and campy performance as Solange. Whether she's using her canes to stalk around the house like a velociraptor, warbling about her faith and "old fashioned" views or dishing out smug grins in Belinda's direction, her character fills every inch of the screen despite her tiny frame. For his part, Burns is fine as Norman but his character is bare bones, really only there as a witness to the battle of the two women and to indicate which way the tide is turning at any given moment.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of other undercooked elements cluttering up The Front Room. Belinda sleepwalks and has ominous dreams, Solange may be the leader of a cult, there's a Christianity versus theology angle, the issue of exactly how ill Solange is. None of this is really paid off and while its fine (and even good) for film makers to muddy the waters in aid of keeping the audience on their toes it adds to a sense the film doesn't know what it wants to be. It's too slight and the dialogue too inconsistent to be a genuine character piece, it's icky but not scary in a horror sense (we really should be passed the point where an old person's body frightens us) and while its certainly funny we veer a little close to the bone in terms of both racism and potential elder abuse to be considered a comedy.

The Front Room is inconsistent, unclear, and packs a low key ending that will frustrate some. On the other hand it packs in tense moments, laughs and two fantastic performances. Given the brief runtime (86 minutes) it's worth checking out. Unless bodily functions make you squeamish.

6 Confederate certificates out of 10 old pieces of paper.

Okay this is definitely one of A24's worst films because as much there are some aspects I appreciate, it fails to take advantage with it's concept and becomes a mess.

The Eggers Brothers crafted a somewhat interesting horror flick with some interesting concepts within its setting and strong performances from Brandy and Kathryn Hunter. Unfortunately, these positive aspects are thrown into the back due to its poorly written narrative that struggles to focus with its themes, characters that are uninteresting and annoying, and a third act that just goes nowhere.

Based on the story from Susan Hill, I'll be honest, the story felt as if it was a bit stretched out too long as it ends up making some narrative choices feel weak and creating some pacing issues. Including gross moments that feels like it wants to be mean-spirited but unlike being in a creative way, it feels forced. There are some solid camera work and presentation.

Overall, the Eggers Brothers prove that they have talents to craft something but this movie probably works better as a short film.

The trailer for this film is misleading. The movie is very unserious, but it knows it and it leans into it. The Front Room has a very simple plot, simple dialogue, and no gore. But what it does have in abundance is a sense of humor. Thanks to a great performance by Kathryn Hunter as the elderly mother, this movie is just downright entertaining at the end of the day. You realize about 10 minutes in that it's not going to reinvent the wheel; the writing is not going to be exceptionally clever. But in spite of all that the audience in my theater couldn't stop laughing throughout. So if you're in the mood for some dark humor and camp, it's definitely worth a look. 6.5/10.

Elderly widow Solange (Kathryn Hunter) offers to share her wealth with her estranged stepson Norman (Andrew Burnap) and his pregnant wife Belinda (Brandy Norwood) so long as the couple agree to take her into their home. However, the old woman begins to make trouble from the moment she moves in, her controlling nature, extreme religious beliefs, bizarre behaviour and chronic incontinence putting pressure on Norman and Belinda's relationship. Does the malicious old lady have a secret agenda - a sinister reason for wanting to drive a wedge between her stepson and his wife?

Well, no, actually, and that's the big problem with The Front Room: after plenty of well-executed build up, the film fails to deliver a satisfying payoff, the ending coming as a total damp squib. The misleading trailer hinted at Solange possessing dark, supernatural powers, her reasons for wanting to live with Norman and Belinda being far from Christian; however, rather than revealing the woman to be a member of an evil cult out to possess the body of Belinda or steal the life-force of the couple's child, Solange turns out to be just an ordinary obnoxious old bag, albeit one who regularly craps the bed. Writer/directors Sam and Max Eggers attempt a twist at the end of the film, but it's extremely weak, neither clever nor surprising.

To be fair, I had a pretty good time with most of the film, largely thanks to Hunter as Solange, who is absolutely hilarious, clearly having a blast playing a cantankerous, manipulative old crone in an adult diaper. It's just a real shame that the Eggers couldn't wrap things up in a more satisfying manner.