Review by John Delia, Sr.
The mystery The Little Stranger will have you fooled throughout, but that may not be a good thing. Fueled by an ominous musical score, the film keeps the audience mesmerized as the play develops into a devilish turn of events. Twists and turns aplenty you would think you were on a carousel waiting for the next bend, listening to tidbits from the people passing by and a wash of a dismal life in a house in slow decay. While you are treated to excellent acting by the whole cast, it’s not enough for the mediocre payoff.
It’s a joyous day at the Ayer’s Hundreds Hall Estate in 1919 Victorian London, especially for young Faraday (Oliver Zetterström). He has been invited with his mother, a former Ayres’ maid, to the birthday party for Mrs. Ayres (Charlotte Rampling) youngest daughter Susan (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) on the lawns of their amazing estate. The party is hypnotic to the young boy, but he’s not totally satisfied that he and all the other guests were not allowed in the interior of the glamorous estate house. Just when they are about to leave, the head maid spots Mrs. Faraday (Kathryn O’Reilly) walking by the back entrance and invites her into the kitchen where she worked. Young Faraday is impressed by all the food and goodies and gets to taste the creamy goodness of the desserts. While Mrs. Faraday talks to her maid friends the youngster roams the huge house, but gets punished later for an act of impudence.
Flash forward thirty years and it is now Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) who has joined the practice of Dr. Granger in the city where he grew up. With Dr. Granger away he gets called out to the Ayres Mansion. When he arrives he sees the mansion is dismal from lack of upkeep and repair, not at all what he remembered. There he meets Caroline Ayres (Ruth Wilson), a daughter that was born after his visit to the estate now so many years ago. He treats maid Betty and while he’s there becomes attracted to Caroline and wants to court her. His desires for Caroline escalate when Faraday starts treating Roderick (Will Poulter) who is suffering from the burns and psychological depression from serving in war time.
With a lot of enigmatic dialogue, dark filtered camera work and a fair measure of misdirection Director Lenny Abrahamson who was lauded for his movie Room brings Sarah Waters novel to the screen. He interweaves a mystery, a one-sided romance and a few surprises that are somewhat predictable. Not at all what I was expecting especially since you would think Abrahamson could see a very difficult ending was in store. More information from the production on Susan’s death would also have been welcomed and the obvious would not have been so easy to spot.
As for the acting, Charlotte Rampling always gives a stellar performance and here she does not let us down. A sorrowful woman who lost a daughter and a son who has gone mad, shows in her portrayal of Mrs. Ayres. It’s a clue to the awful decay of the estate and the cause of losing her mind. With swift glances and wide eyed looks the house starts to play tricks on her with voices from the past. She makes the film work, but it could have worked better had her character been armed to deliver more about Susan.
Will Poulter, who gave us characters like Bridger in The Revenant and Krauss in Detroit, offers a very dark character in The Little Stranger. As Roderick he’s possessed with psychological war trauma and finds himself a burden on the family although he still heads as the matriarch. People turn their heads as he walks by and are abhorred by his deformed face. Caroline makes sure his decisions are being carried out however, but he’s heading for a difficult time in his life. This is one of Poulter’s best characters and a difficult one, but it really shows he can handle a challenging role.
As for Ruth Wilson as Caroline and Domhnall Gleeson as Dr. Faraday, the two look like they were meant to play their characters. Both easily establishing themselves as Londoners in the early 1950’s and then a chance meeting turns into the thread that sews together a horror that should not have been let lose. Gleeson can be remembered for his role as General Hux in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. I like to remember him as Caleb in Ex Machina. Those that are Harry Potter fans know Gleeson as the older Bill Weasley in The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2.
Wilson shows a two faced Caroline who welcomes the advances of Dr. Faraday, but that’s only a front for her real desires. She knows her brother is the matriarch of the family, but it’s really her making the decisions. It’s a coy role and one that must be smartly delivered or the finale would not work. Although she succeeds in her performance, too many flaws make the film weak and predictable.
The Little Stranger has been rated R by the MPAA for some disturbing bloody images. If you like a film that builds up to scare you down, then this film is your cup of tea. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The movie works in two ways, as a good horror flick and a psychological thriller. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Josh Dylan, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Liv Hill, Charlotte Rampling, Anna Madeley, Kathryn O’Reilly, and Ruth Wilson
Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Written by: Sarah Waters (novel) also wrote The Handmaiden
Genre: Mystery, Drama, Horror
MPAA Rating: Â R for some disturbing bloody images
Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min.
Opening Date: August 31, 2018
Distributed by: Focus Features
Released in: Standard