Glasshouse – Fantasia Review (3/5)

GLASSHOUSE is a sci-fi thriller from South Africa. The concept feels familiar but it’s also its own. Set in a post-apocalyptic world with an old world feel. Screened at Fantasia 2021. Read our full Glasshouse movie review here!

GLASSHOUSE is a new sci-fi thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world. The movie is from South Africa but you wouldn’t know that from watching or listening. The accent is more British than anything and the characters look like they’re living 100 years before this present day.

It’s not an issue though because it works for the purpose of the story playing out. Set in a post-apocalyptic world with an old world feel. A comparison to The Beguiled is impossible, but this is still it’s own story!

Continue reading our Glasshouse movie review below.

We are what we remember!

A small family consisting of “Mother” and two young adult women, a teenage boy and a pre-teen girl. The family is living on their own in this post-apocalyptic world. And yes, our current pandemic is mentioned, but what ultimately defeated us humans was the pandemic known as “The Shred”.

The Shred very simply works by attacking the brain and taking our memories. Like Alzheimer on speed, the most recent pandemic took our memories and therefore our identities. Leaving only shells of people that can be rebuilt or recreated but not able to remember who they were. Or who their family was!

This pandemic was airborne, so the small family lives in an airtight glasshouse. Always ready to defend themselves and brought up to shoot-on-sight, they manage quite well. They’ve been forced to very literally “go back to basics” in a very modern “farm to table”-sense.

Glasshouse as a sci-fi take on The Beguiled

I don’t mean to say that Glasshouse is a copy of The Beguiled. However, I can’t imagine that anyone who has watched The Beguiled (2017) won’t be thinking of that movie when they watch this new one. Sure, Glasshouse is set in a post-apocalyptic world and the other is set during the American Civil War.

Also, this one is a sci-fi thriller and the other a war drama and thriller. Still, the setting of a family consisting primarily of a mother and several daughters is familiar. So are the very white and airy outfits that both look to be from the same time period.

Finally, a young man arrives in both stories and goes from being a prisoner of sorts to someone who inserts himself into their family structure in record time.

Glasshouse premiere at Fantasia 2021

Kelsey Egan is the director of Glasshouse and also co-wrote the screenplay with Emma Lungiswa De Wet. This is the feature film debut for both in their relevant capacities. Emma Lungiswa De Wet is also on board as a producer.

While the casting is solid and performances, in general, are impressive, there is still one actor who left the biggest impact.

The relative newcomer Anja Taljaard is intense and full of a natural passion in every scene. She reminded me of Florence Pugh, which didn’t exactly hurt. Anja Taljaard has two movies coming out (both are currently in post-production). Including Redeeming Love by D.J. Caruso (The Disappointments Room).

Kelsey Egan already has her next feature film in pre-production. It’s a movie she’s also the sole writer of as well. Once again, it’s a South African production and a sci-fi hybrid (sci-fi action) but no official cast attached. The title is The Fix and hopefully, she’ll convince Anja Taljaard to come on board yet again!

Fantasia feels like the perfect film festival to premiere at and if you enjoy slow-burn sci-fi thrillers where you just know the plot twists will be mindf*cks, then be sure to check it out.

GLASSHOUSE had its world premiere at Fantasia 2021 where we screened it. It will be out in theaters in South Africa in October 2021 and will be available to stream on Showmax in Africa from February 2022.

Details

DIRECTOR: Kelsey Egan
WRITERS: Emma De Wet, Kelsey Egan
CAST: Jessica Alexander, Anja Taljaard, Adrienne Pearce, Hilton Pelser, Brent Vermeulen