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 The
Commune (Screener - 2009)
Shero Media / Volante Films / 2009
Directed by Elisabeth Fies
Written by Elisabeth Fies
Cast: Chauntal Lewis, Stuart G. Bennett, David Lago & Adrian
Lee
Review by Jennifer Holderness
A young girl is caught in the middle of a custody battle and
is sent to live with her absentee father who is now the
leader of a strange cult. With her sweet sixteenth birthday
coming up, little does Jenny know that her cult leader
father and his followers have a birthday surprise in store
for her.
It seems to me after watching this film director Fies, is
standing at a precipice built by The Commune. All she’ll
need to do is jump down and I am certain she’ll land on her
feet. This psychological slow burn filmed in eighteen days
really took me by surprise. It is darkly sinister and yet
very engaging. Reality horror is what is given to us via
this tale of ultimate betrayal. Still, I was not expecting
such a well-written film. The story really gets under your
skin, especially for victims of abuse and molestation
whether done by a cult, a family member or any other abuser.
Abuse of children in any form is one scary reality indeed.
Blind followers are another aspect of reality in this horror
film, and yes, this is indeed a horror film. This kind of
film I find scary in its stark reality. Not a gore film so
gore-hounds need not apply here but if you enjoy
psychological terror of the sick and twisted kind then this
should do the trick for you.
Isolation, betrayal and lack of boundaries are the backbone
of this tale along with a big helping of sick behaviors that
slowly unfold and leave your mind with an oppressive pall
that you just can’t shake off. Chauntal Lewis, though
clearly not sixteen still has the body language of a
teenager down in her performance. Where she really drives it
home is the amount of sympathy you’ll feel for her. She is a
sympathetic character and Lewis wears her vulnerability
tucked just underneath the surface of her teenage anger and
angst like a slip under a skirt. Mention must be made for
Stuart G. Bennett’s performance as Jenny’s father. I’m going
to be harshly honest the man gave me the heebie-jeebies the
first time I laid my eyes on him in this film. It just gets
worse from there on out. He’s disgusting, appalling and
frankly, beyond creepy throughout this entire film. Director
Fies manages to glean some really interesting performances
from her players.
More importantly though is the look of this film. This film
is gorgeous to look at. Nothing dull in here, it’s
beautifully filmed with lush, rich colors and surroundings.
The beauty of it juxtaposed with the horror of the story
make this film even more insidious. Every shot is full of
symbolism and well thought out. It is truly a work of art.
Elisabeth Fies makes excellent use of all her surroundings,
nothing is wasted and nothing overlooked when it comes to
atmosphere, sounds and music. The score is mysteriously
beautiful as well and fits this story like a glove. With
peacocks crying in the background this film managed to tap
into all of my senses and leave me awash in a certain kind
of sadness. The end of this film is simply devastating and
definitely not what I was expecting. Ms. Fies managed to
hide and then pummel me with a revelation that felt like a
steel toe to the gut. Thank you Ms. Fies for churning my
stomach for a while. That’s what a good little horror film
does, doesn’t it? This female writer/director is a
story-teller and has made me proud to be in the same gender
as she has accomplished much with very little.
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