Hoard

In her directorial debut Luna Carmoon captures extraordinarily how we can be connected to our positive childhood memories and experiences even when they can be seen as strange and even traumatic by some. Essentially "Hoard" tells the story of love - platonic, friendly, physical or parental, and the way it can affect our behaviour and also our personality. But Carmoon decided to show slightly disturbing and sometimes disgusting side of connecting and bonding of two people, which made the whole film more gripping in my opinion. I found this concept intriguing and although there were some themes I would have wished to be more developed, I am really interested to see what comes out next from the mind of Carmoon. I must highlight the debut performance of Saura Lightfoot Leon in the leading role whose stubborn, emotional and fragile yet brave Maria carried the narrative. In the supporting role the new rising star Joseph Quinn proved that he has the talent even for more artistic approach in film-making than just for mainstream production like Stranger Things (his break-out role).

Young Maria (Lily-Beau Leach) has a close relationship with her mother Cynthia (Hayley Squires) in 1980s London. Cynthia is a single mother who is a hoarder and has embroiled her young daughter in her obsession. When Cynthia is killed by a collapsing pile of rubbish Maria is sent to live with a foster mother called Michelle (Samantha Spiro). Ten years later the now teenage Maria (Saura Lightfoot Leon) establishes an intense, obsessive relationship with another of Michelle's foster children called Michael (Joseph Quinn), who is now a grown man, and who also happens to be a bin man. Writer/director Luna Carmoon's 2023 debut feature film is an edgy, visceral psychological drama dealing with the legacy of the past, memory and childhood, the traumas and obsessions of life, and coping mechanisms (such as hoarding) for the emotional pain of loss (you wonder about Cynthia). With references to 'Last Tango in Paris' and 'The Tin Drum', as well as a sitting room 'bullfight', this is daring stuff (at least for a post 1970s world) made by a new female writer/director prospect.

It will turn out to be a visceral nightmare for anyone with OCD, so it's best to keep your distance.

Now keeping my courteous forewarning aside, this just didn't hit the mark for me, even though I get what they were trying to do, and what they have had in their minds.

A lot of it comes down to the inefficient execution which focuses way too much on visuals and forgets to build a strong emotional groundwork.

Even though I like their intent to highlight 'hoarder disorder' and them providing a voice to those affected by it.

But the real question is, did the story do enough to foster compassion for people dealing with such issues? Or at least help others understand their off-beat mindset better?

I don't think so.

This movie is undeniably weird man. It reminded me of the feeling I had watching "How to Talk to Girls at Parties", which was weird in its own way. I mention this comparison 'cause both films caught me off guard-I wasn't expecting anything unusual going in. I thought this movie would just be about hoarding.

For the most part, the film presents itself as normal, but it's sprinkled with random, odd scenes before hitting a huge "wtf" moment. It doesn't build up to its weirdness the way you'd expect. Instead, it plays out like a typical coming-of-age story for long stretches before suddenly hits you with its eccentricities. The movie covers a lot of ground, mostly exploring grief. Does it kinda well because it doesn't feel like it's the theme put at the forefront. Hoarding plays a major role too, and I liked how the mother, Cynthia, was portrayed. Her hoarding-she's not demonized, just shown as an unwell person. Still, you can see her kid's in a bad situation.

The main character, Maria, wasn't very relatable. She had moments of normalcy-just a teen graduating, partying-but that fades quickly. Her best friend was the character I liked the most, and the film felt more grounded when she was on screen. Once she's gone, things spiral into chaos. In contrast, Joseph Quinn's character, Michael, seemed to thrive in the madness. His relationship with Maria pushes the psychological tension to new extremes. When he's on screen things get weird, and when the best friends on screen things feel more normal.

The movie opens in a way that's both weird and sad-watching someone grow up in such an environment. But then they had so many moments of just pure simple joy, Maria and her mother. I was curious how the mother's hoarding would affect Maria as she grew up, but oddly, it feels like that thread gets dropped temporarily in the film, despite the time spent on her childhood. But it all comes full circle.

There are some truly shocking scenes-none more so than the bizarre "cereal-matador" eating scene. I went into the film knowing little, but it turned out to be much stranger than I expected. A lot happens off-screen, and the viewer is left to piece things together. Despite the chaos, I wasn't bored-it's like watching a car crash. It's messy and unsettling, but I can't look away.

The bond between Maria and her mother in her childhood is strange, and her relationship with Michael later on is even stranger. The randomness of it all adds to the film's peculiar charm. Some parts feel normal when taken out of context, but with context, they become even weirder. The film's portrayal of grief is particularly unconventional.

At over two hours, the toxic dynamics start to test your patience. The movie wraps up on a relatively normal note, almost as if nothing had ever happened. Hoard is a wild ride-simultaneously uncomfortable, romantic, and unhealthy in the same breath. It's not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it. Though it felt like it dragged toward the end, it eventually gets there. Overall, it's packed with peculiar moments that perfectly suit its unusual story. People grieve in different ways, this is definitely the weirdest I've seen.

Greetings again from the darkness. I don't know why. I wish I could explain it. So many movies I admire or find intriguing are not the kind of movies that one would describe as uplifting, likable, or even watchable multiple times. The first feature film from writer-director Luna Carmoon is yet another for that category. It's simultaneously compelling and unpleasant - a difficult movie to watch with an unrelatable lead character. And yet, I couldn't turn away. The film won multiple awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, so obviously I'm not the only one drawn to this.

When we first meet Maria (newcomer Lily-Beau Leach), she's dumpster-diving with her mother (Hayley Squires, THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAN, 2021). Maria is around 8 years old and it's obvious her mom adores her despite being burdened with an unfortunate form of OCD. Mom is a hoarder-extraordinaire, and each evening she takes her young daughter to the streets to collect items that do nothing but add to the messy collections that make it nearly impossible to open the front door of their now disgusting home. As loving as her mother is, Maria can't help but prank her by hiding the rolls of aluminum foil from her lunchbox. Mom begins to freak out at the thought of used aluminum foil being wasted, and only relaxes once Maria pulls the wads out of her pocket.

A tragic and bizarre accident leads us to flash forward - with a visually clever transition - to Maria (now played by Saura Lightfoot-Leon, "Masters of the Air") in her final days of school, having lived with (and learned from) her warm-hearted foster mom Michelle (Samantha Spiro, ME BEFORE YOU, 2016) for nearly a decade. Although she lives a relatively 'normal' life now, Maria is a bit lost and unmotivated for the next step in life. Things shift quickly and dramatically for Maria when Michael (Joesph Quinn, A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE, 2024) shows up. Having been a previous foster child for Michelle, he is now in his late 20's and engaged to be married. Michelle doesn't hesitate to let him move back in temporarily, innocently unaware of what this unleashes in both Michael and Maria.

This twisted psychological drama reaches new heights (or new lows) as Michael and Maria discover each other on the same wavelength. Maria's repression combines with her reverting to childhood, despite her opportunity to begin again. She finds so many reminders of her mother: a fork, chalk, foil, a bedsheet drying on a clothesline, an iron, and a dumpster, all take her back to the stage which was set early on by her mother. At times it seems like Michael is being whisked away by her, although he is unable to stop their actions. The clean ending of a movie that wallows in messiness may disappoint some viewers, but for me, I found some relief. Filmmaker Carmoon succeeds in making us uncomfortable, yet I couldn't look away.

Opening in select theaters on September 6, 2024.