Movie Review: Absentia

Horror fans are well aware that there are many, many fates much worse than death. Writer/director Mike Flanagan reflects this sentiment in a uniquely profound way in his indie horror film, Absentia. Absentia tells the story of two estranged sisters, Callie and Tricia (played by Katie Parker and Courtney Bell) who unwittingly stumble upon and begin to unwravel a horrifying, centuries-old mystery linked to a slew of seemingly unrelated disappearances.

The movie begins with Tricia, pregnant, coming home to find her sister Callie sitting on her doorstep. Callie has finally returned from her self-imposed exile, to help her sister as she mourns the loss of her husband who has been missing for years now. Tricia will soon sign the documents to declare his "death in absentia," and is understandably having a difficult time doing so. As the time to sign the documents draws nearer, Tricia begins to catch quick glimpses of her husband, lingering in the dark shadows of her small, suburban home. It would seem he might still be alive, somehow trapped by an unknown force. And Callie begins to understand that he may not be the only one. Turns out, a lot of people seem to vanish in this area. Most folks brush it off as the result of living in a bad neighborhood, but Callie doesn't think so. She believes something may be kidnapping people from their homes and nightly strolls, and spiriting them away to some world beyond our own.

Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive about watching an indie horror film. Anything with "indie" tagged onto it is likely to bore me to the point of begging for a quick and merciful death. In my experience, most indie stuff tries to be more profound than it actually is -- and by God, the more awards the things have the worse they usually are! But I was bored, and I needed an excuse to sit down, eat too much ice cream, and stare blankly at the television screen. (I had used up all my other excuses) That excuse came in the form of Absentia. And you know what? I'm very glad it did.

Absentia is not remarkably creepy, but what it lacks in scare-factor, it makes up for in atmosphere and character. Even better, Flanagan has deftly woven a supernatural thread through what feels like a very grounded film, using a familiar childhood fairy tale to do so. It works brilliantly.

It wouldn't be horror without a long, dark, tunnel with a light at the end!

The product of a kickstarter campaign, typical Hollywood tropes are notably absent from the film. The film makes no attempt to be edgy or controversial. There's no excessive swearing, no explicit sex, no violence for the sake of violence, no anti-Christian sermon.

That last thing is something I want to emphasize: No Anti-Christian Sermon. I don't know anything about Flanagan's own religious beliefs, but the single Christian in the film, Callie, is presented fairly. In fact, she may just have been one of the most genuine Christian characters I've seen in any horror film. She's not without her faults, she swears more than she should and is a struggling drug-addict, but any negative light cast on her is done so in a sympathetic manner rather than an antagonistic one. Even so, she makes up for these flaws with her sincere devotion to God and the Christian way.

One particularly charming scene that showcases this is when she remembers seeing a homeless man on her daily jog. She had promised to bring him something to eat. On her way out, plate of food in hand, her sister asks what she is doing. She starts to explain, then simply says, "It's a Christian thing." And no, she doesn't poison the food. And no she doesn't throw it in the homeless man's face or tie it to a fishing line to bait the man into a church. I bet you don't believe me. I can see that doubtful look on your face right now. But I assure you, it's true. Callie is a Christian lady worth cheering.

On the flip side, being an indie film the director felt it necessary to have at least a couple boring/melodramatic scenes placed here and there throughout the film. I mean, c'mon, isn't that to be expected? Wouldn't it be a betrayal to all indie film makers if those scenes were absent here? Of course it would. And truthfully, the film is pretty darn bleak. Many of the character-focused moments, apart from the supernatural bits, serve only to remind us how freaking depressing our lives really are. How untrusting, confused, and disillusioned we are. Yeah. . .heavy. . .but again, par for the course. So we can forgive these few faults, can't we? Yeah, I think so too. Which is why I'm giving Absentia:

Overall Score: 3 out of 5