Krisha

Greetings again from the darkness. If we need a poster child for independent film, perhaps this little gem from writer/director Trey Edward Shults should be the leading candidate. The film is daring and raw and proves that even a familiar theme can be interesting if the creative forces are allowed to do what they do best. And on top of that … it was filmed in 9 days with no "stars" and almost no money.

The extended opening shot is a close up of only a woman's face. Her eyes are expressive and her lip begins to quiver. Her look could be described as unnerved, and with the ominous music playing, our mind leads us to believe we are headed towards a horror film. Oh, how right … and wrong … that initial impression proves to be.

That woman is Krisha (played by Krisha Fairchild), a sixty-something year old who is joining her family for Thanksgiving dinner – after a 10 year absence. Of course, there are no shortage of family holiday dinner disaster movies, but most of the time they are either slapstick comedy or so stagey that the frustration never strikes a chord. Not so with this one.

Tension is palpable in every scene. It's as if everyone is waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. Krisha is a trainwreck as a mother, sister and person. She is an alcoholic and drug addict, though she proclaims herself healed. It's pretty obvious to everyone (except herself) that her best intentions are not firmly planted in reality … and the inevitable is only a matter of time. Old wounds are re-opened (though they were probably never closed), and a simple conversation on the patio or checking the timer for the baking turkey become near catastrophes.

Mr. Shults has economically and effectively cast many of his own family members, and filmed in his mother's home outside of Houston. Krisha is his real life Aunt, and Robyn (who plays Krisha's emotionally devastated sister) is the director's mother. This is a story that works because of the realness of each moment. It feels like family members unloading on each other rather than two actors reciting lines. Krisha's swig of wine in the bathroom provides a moment of relief for both her and the viewer. Having been called "heartbreak incarnate" and an "abandoneer" … we even sympathize with her instinct to retreat to the bottle, though it's with dread and misery.

Director Shults displays promise as a director who can capture a personal moment, no matter how awkward or painful. Krisha Fairchild has a Gena Rowlands on screen presence (very high praise) that delivers a touch of grounded realism to her words and actions. As a lover of independent films, here's hoping we see more from them both in the very near future.

The first shot of "Krisha" is a slow zoom into the titular characters face, with ominous, rising music in the background. The preceding scenes (and the fantastic introductory long take) show that Krisha is coming home to family that she hasn't seen in a while on Thanksgiving day, and has good intentions for her visit. But this mood of uncertainty established in the opening shot rises throughout the movie. Even though Krisha is simply participating in usual small talk towards the beginning of the film, the unpredictable soundtrack, frantic movement of the camera, and the performances of the characters suggest Krisha isn't stable.

The film is very subtle and deliberate in what it reveals to us about this family and Krisha's past. The film starts after much has already happened with her character, and many things are revealed about her throughout the film, but most are just suggested. She has problems in her past that have affected her whole family, and her sudden visit to them intends to make up for those problems.

The camera and aspect ratios tell us a lot about the state of Krisha's character. At first the camera movements are frantic but fluid, showing Krisha is in control, but could lose it at any moment. Then the camera is shaky and the aspect ratio narrows, with two black bars at the top and bottom, showing Krisha is on the verge of breaking, relapsing into alcoholism. Then the aspect ratio boxes her in and the editing and camera movements are spastic, showing her isolation and inability to escape it.

While the cinematography tells a lot about Krisha, the actress portraying her, Krisha Fairchild, really tells the most. Her repressed suffering is evident with this actress. This is the type of film where all of the actors make each scene feel natural and incredibly realistic. They seem like real people in a family we could know, and that's part of what makes the film so brutal.

Krisha is a devastating, deeply emotional character study and one of the best films of 2016.

The unpleasant dynamics and tensions that many families navigate during the holidays can sometimes be downright horrifying. "Krisha," the story of a woman reunited with her family after she estranged herself many years ago in order to face her demons, is a stark reminder of how traumatic confronting the past can be.

Starring his aunt (Krisha Fairchild) and featuring himself and many of his family members, filmmaker Trey Edward Shults has gone extremely personal for his debut feature (based off a short of the same name). The film has a documentary-like feel at times and the family dynamics that play out on screen seem unusually authentic and genuine. Yet underneath it all, Shults works with camera technique and a non-traditional score to remind us how unsettling and difficult this is for his title character.

"Krisha," the film and the character, slowly becomes unhinged over the course of the film. Shults' script smartly denies us the amount of background information we'd like to have; we don't need to know exactly what she's done or what her problems were to be able to observe how frazzled this environment makes her and how confronting these long- ignored but deep-rooted relationships could dismantle her mentally and emotionally.

Shults begins and ends his film with close-ups of Krisha's face giving an indiscernible expression, perhaps with the goal of empathy. Normally we would empathize with the "normal" family members and in many ways we still do, but Shults stays close to Krisha in nearly every moment of the film and gives us piercing access to who she is. Fairchild rises up to meet the challenges that level of intimacy places on an actor. We see Krisha's discomfort and pain, and the sadness when her desire to make things right hits the roadblock of the pain she caused others in the past.

When tension does turn over to drama, the way it plays out feels impressively true to life. Shults clearly plays loose with his script, allowing these unseasoned actors to draw on their own experiences (and perhaps some actual family dynamics) and improvise dialogue. Even if you haven't had a family member melt down in front of everyone, there's a raw truth to the way tense scenes between people play out. That authenticity only makes "Krisha" all the more haunting.

Shults' direction and editing, however, is really the star of this film. He has strong instincts in terms of suspense, creating that slow build and unhinging of his film in the most simple of ways. Even in the most mundane of scenes, he draws forward any tension lurking beneath the surface. He also allows us to see, hear and experience things as the overmedicated mind of Krisha does, yet the techniques are not heavy-handed. He even plays with the chronology of events, weaving together scenes to focus on the emotional arc of the story as it pertains to Krisha rather than feeling beholden to how everything builds up in real time. The result is a much stronger portrait of Krisha and what's truly happening at a deeper level.

Filmmakers that can wield tension and suspense in this way have the skills to tell just about any story well, which bodes well for Shults' career. If he can turn the story of a troubled woman relapsing at Thanksgiving into what you might argue is a horror film that at times verges on Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream," the sky's the limit.

~Steven C

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"Krisha" brings the story of the title character. As the movie opens, we see Krishna, a woman in her 60s, arriving with her suitcase at a house in suburban Texas. Turns out to be her sister Robyn's house, and the entire family is gathering for Thanksgiving, and also to celebrate the birth of a baby to Robyn's daughter. It is clear that this is Krisha's first time seeing most of them in a long time, and that during that absence she deal with personal issues. At this point we're maybe 10 minutes into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is a labor of love for Trey Edward Shults, who directed, wrote, edited and stars in the movie. Not to mention that this movie was made on less than a shoestring (primary funding came from a small Kickstarter campaign). In the first half of the movie, we witness how this family is enjoying their time together, even if it is straining for Krisha. But the second half of the movie truly delivers. One key scene after another unfolds, and will leave you nailed to your seat. There are a number of key performances, none more so than Krisha Faichild in the title role (most other characters also use their real life names in the movie). Check out the scene where she is reunited with her mentally frail mother, who looks to be in her 90s. Just wow. Robyn Fairchild as Krisha's sister is equally excellent. There is an interesting score courtesy of (for me unknown) Brian McOmber.

This movie made quite a splash at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. No idea why it's taken over a year for this to finally get a release in theaters, but better late than not. "Krisha" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great. That is a darn shame. This is a top notch if heavy duty family drama which deserves a larger audience. If you have a chance to see this, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, by all means do not miss it! "Krisha" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Don't let the plot synopsis fool you. First-time writer-director Trey Edward Shults has managed to craft a unique and absorbing family drama from a premise which appears mundane and conventional on the surface.

Krisha Fairchild is magnificent in the lead role, and the mostly non-actor cast add a heightened sense of honesty and realism to the drama, which can make for engrossing, if at times uncomfortable viewing.

However, what makes Krisha truly stand out is the cinematography and score. With an opening shot lasting about six minutes, it's clear from the start that this isn't your run-of-the-mill family drama. The camera is used in ways that can sometimes call attention to itself, but is always in service of the story. The rattling score permeates the film with a feeling of dread and anxiety which, with the camera-work, really makes us feel what the title character is feeling.

While Krisha is not a perfect film (although the opening 20-30 minutes come close), it manages to feel unique and original in ways I didn't think would be possible in 2016. This is the most pleasant surprise of the year, and I can't wait to see what Shults does next.