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The Manor, 2021
Judith (Barbara Hershey) is a former dancer who suffers a stroke and subsequently makes the decision to go to live in a retirement home, to the relief of her daughter (Katie Keane) and the trepidation of her grandson, Josh (Nicholas Alexander). But very shortly after settling in, Judith is unnerved by the strict rules and the rough treatment of many of the seemingly senile residents. Oh, and there's also the tiny problem of the mysterious dark figure that appears at night looming over her bed.
I watched this film at the behest of our dear MKS, who has a recently written script that has some overlaps with this film. (Um, YOU'RE WELCOME for yet another case of a WOMAN being FORCED into doing EMOTIONAL LABOR for the men around her, like GAWD!).
Anyway, this is one of those films that just kind of frustrates you because it has some interesting and effective moments that just get bogged down by other elements and sequences that are so predictable and by-the-numbers.
The highlight is easily Hershey's performance as Judith, portraying a woman who basically shuffles herself off to the sidelines, not realizing until it's too late that she has signed away her agency and freedom, and that a single whisper of the word "dementia" unlocks the power for others to confine her, restrain her physically, and medicate her against her will. The more she is restricted, the more agitated Judith becomes. And when you throw in a supernatural element, you get these hopeless sequences where Judith has to try and explain something to her family that she knows will make her sound crazy.
I also thought that some of the "night visitation" scenes were effective and scary.
The downside to this one is twofold. The first is that everything is far too predictable right off the bat. I was 95% sure about the plot turns about 20 minutes into the film, and the nursing home employees were evil in a cartoonish way from the word go. Like, not 10 minutes into the film Gary the nurse (Devin Kawaoka) is body-slamming an octogenarian into a bed.
But I also really struggled with some of the writing, especially the character of Josh. It's like the actor got one note ("When people feel conflicted, they sometimes stammer! See how that works for you!"). And I already wrote to MKS about this, but it makes so little sense how Judith ends up in this situation. She apparently just never visited the home? Or read the contract she signed?! She is somehow unaware that she's not allowed to have a phone or to leave the building unaccompanied. There's also, I don't know, almost an issue of ageism? Josh asks her why she's in the home and she's like "I'm very old. I'm almost 70!!!". Excuse me, but I know several people in their 70s who are still working full time, physically active, mentally with it, and just living their lives. Also, for a stroke survivor AND someone with Parkinson's disease, Judith is . . . fine. She's fine. There is nothing in the writing or performance that indicates that she is physically or mentally frail.
I will give the film grudging points for the unexpected ending, but the last act is also kind of annoyingly drawn out.
The Manor, 2021
Judith (Barbara Hershey) is a former dancer who suffers a stroke and subsequently makes the decision to go to live in a retirement home, to the relief of her daughter (Katie Keane) and the trepidation of her grandson, Josh (Nicholas Alexander). But very shortly after settling in, Judith is unnerved by the strict rules and the rough treatment of many of the seemingly senile residents. Oh, and there's also the tiny problem of the mysterious dark figure that appears at night looming over her bed.
I watched this film at the behest of our dear MKS, who has a recently written script that has some overlaps with this film. (Um, YOU'RE WELCOME for yet another case of a WOMAN being FORCED into doing EMOTIONAL LABOR for the men around her, like GAWD!).
Anyway, this is one of those films that just kind of frustrates you because it has some interesting and effective moments that just get bogged down by other elements and sequences that are so predictable and by-the-numbers.
The highlight is easily Hershey's performance as Judith, portraying a woman who basically shuffles herself off to the sidelines, not realizing until it's too late that she has signed away her agency and freedom, and that a single whisper of the word "dementia" unlocks the power for others to confine her, restrain her physically, and medicate her against her will. The more she is restricted, the more agitated Judith becomes. And when you throw in a supernatural element, you get these hopeless sequences where Judith has to try and explain something to her family that she knows will make her sound crazy.
I also thought that some of the "night visitation" scenes were effective and scary.
The downside to this one is twofold. The first is that everything is far too predictable right off the bat. I was 95% sure about the plot turns about 20 minutes into the film, and the nursing home employees were evil in a cartoonish way from the word go. Like, not 10 minutes into the film Gary the nurse (Devin Kawaoka) is body-slamming an octogenarian into a bed.
But I also really struggled with some of the writing, especially the character of Josh. It's like the actor got one note ("When people feel conflicted, they sometimes stammer! See how that works for you!"). And I already wrote to MKS about this, but it makes so little sense how Judith ends up in this situation. She apparently just never visited the home? Or read the contract she signed?! She is somehow unaware that she's not allowed to have a phone or to leave the building unaccompanied. There's also, I don't know, almost an issue of ageism? Josh asks her why she's in the home and she's like "I'm very old. I'm almost 70!!!". Excuse me, but I know several people in their 70s who are still working full time, physically active, mentally with it, and just living their lives. Also, for a stroke survivor AND someone with Parkinson's disease, Judith is . . . fine. She's fine. There is nothing in the writing or performance that indicates that she is physically or mentally frail.
I will give the film grudging points for the unexpected ending, but the last act is also kind of annoyingly drawn out.