Housewife (3/5)

Housewife is the new movie by Baskin director Can Evrenol. This time around everyone is speaking English and that is not a good thing. However, the story is still as weird and crazy as you’ve come to expect from Evrenol.

Most of the actors may be brilliant in their native tongue, but they definitely aren’t in English. The very clear exception being – and I’m very happy to report this – Danish actor David Sakurai. He plays the role of a cult leader of sorts. In charge of a Scientology-like group of people.

Also, even if all the actors could act in English, it’s The Snowman all over again and I really don’t like it. I can’t buy into it.

Just let them speak Turkish and then people can elect a dubbed version when streaming or buying the DVD later if they can’t be bothered to deal with subtitles.

Brilliantly, they’ve managed to keep the trailer dialogue-free. Obviously, I thought it was to avoid showing that it wasn’t in English, but really, the trick was on me.

You can watch the trailer for Housewife right here or continue reading our review below.

Housewife has a brilliant beginning

When Housewife starts out, it is absolutely brilliant. I sat with the same feeling I had when watching Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell for the first time. You just know shit is about to hit the proverbial fan, and you will love it!

While we’re at it, I also really liked parts of the ending. Both how it ties in beautifully (or horribly, as it were) with the beginning, but also that it goes really crazy.

Also, I did really enjoy David Sakurai as the enigmatic Bruce O’Hara. He can pull it off. Both the English speaking role and being this intense and engaging leader. These days, David Sakurai can be seen in Iron Fist on Netflix and will be in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Interestingly enough, I really liked the lead character, Holly, who was portrayed by Clémentine Poidatz. I even liked the way Clémentine Poidatz acted… as long as she had no dialogue. The problem for me was the fact that most of her lines fell flat. Also, the kids in the beginning of the movie were brilliant. Just brilliant!

It’s really a sick and twisted ride, but I somehow couldn’t help but like it as a whole. More so than this one… but if you took the best from both movies, then you’d have an iconic horror movie!

For me, Housewife turns a bit too twisted and I don’t feel like we [the audience] were allowed to come along for the ride there. We just sort of land in the middle of this mess in a few instances.

Modern horror director Can Evrenol

What I really like about Can Evrenol is the fact that he takes his movies to the extreme. Right now, it’s also what makes me dislike parts of his movies. I feel like his need to push limits is interfering with the story.

However, his style is obvious and he is quickly becoming one of the most interesting genre directors. I just hope his next movie will have actors that can both speak and act in English. Or that he’ll go back to making movies in Turkish. To get an international appeal, he obviously needs to have English dialogue.

Housewife was a step in that direction but didn’t quite make it.

The script for Housewife was written by Can Evrenol and Cem Özüduru, who both took part in writing Baskin as well. Again, their style in storytelling is one you recognize. Both for the good and less-than-good elements.

Housewife is currently playing at film festivals all over the world. We watched a screening at Blodig Weekend in Copenhagen in April 2018.

Details

Director: Can Evrenol
Writers: Can Evrenol, Cem Özüduru
Cast: Clémentine Poidatz, Resit Berker Enhos, Defne Halman, David Sakurai

Plot

On a snowy eve, Little Holly’s sister and father are killed by her frantic mother. Years later, Holly is married, lonely, and her life is soon about take a turn for the ultra weird, when she visits “Umbrella of Love and Mind”.