Life at Sandy’s – Movie Review (3/5)

LIFE AT SANDY’S is a psychological horror movie with a dark satire element. It’s set in Norway, but the main character is American, so English is spoken throughout. You really shouldn’t know more than the core plot before watching. And yes, you absolutely should watch it. Read our full Life at Sandy’s movie review here!

LIFE AT SANDY’S is a horror movie made with a micro-budget, but you wouldn’t think so when watching it. Sure, it has that indie vibe, but both the audio and visual side of it deliver impressive production quality. To me, this is much better than some movies currently playing in US theaters. Bigger budgets do not mean the result will be better.

In this new psychological horror movie, you’ll get a simple plot that hits pretty hard. It’s filled with dark satire. If you don’t acknowledge that, then this movie won’t make much sense to you. Also, don’t be nervous about this being set in Norway, as most of the language spoken is English. It’s playing at film festivals globally right now, so keep your eyes open for a screening near you.

Continue reading our Life at Sandy’s movie review below.

An American in Norway

We meet Evelyn (Heather Cunningham) as she’s recovering from the death of her mother. Evelyn is a Norwegian-American woman who doesn’t speak Norwegian but spent the past year in Norway to care for her ailing mother. Now her mother is dead, and Evelyn has no idea what to do with or in her life.

To call her aimless is almost an understatement.

Not to fear, as her mother’s sister, Aunt Marit (Marianne Løge), shows up to help her get her sh*t together. Aunt Marit is a no-nonsense woman who believes in tough love and feels her own sister failed in raising a capable woman. To be fair, it appears Aunt Marit is correct in this judgment. However, it also means she could handle the situation better.

As much as Aunt Marit is constantly hounding Evelyn, it does work. Or, it gets Evelyn out of the house. She gets a part-time job, and her local colleague, Hanne (Thea Green Lundberg), tries to help, but it is an uphill battle.

“Where everybody knows your name…”

The only thing that seems to bring Evelyn any kind of joy is a strange American sitcom that shows up on a TV screen just when she needs it the most. It has that cosy and familiar vibe. It’s a real comfort show, and feels like a Cheers meets Friends situation. The show is called “Life at Sandy’s”, and appears to be the only thing keeping Evelyn’s depression at bay.

However, instead of helping Evelyn feel better, it’s something she becomes virtually addicted to.

Days go by, and suddenly, the sitcom Life at Sandy’s feels more like the real world than actual life. She becomes friends with the characters in the show, and they start communicating with her. In fact, she’s invited by Sandy (Amy Biedel) herself to join them. It will be forever, so this also comes with quite a price tag.

Watch Life at Sandy’s when you get the chance

Life at Sandy’s comes from writer-director Aleksandra Hansen, who has crafted quite the slow-burn horror gem with this horror feature. The movie has screened at genre film festivals like Fantaspoa, Dances With Films (DWF:LA), and Popcorn Frights.

The movie was shot in the hometown of the director, which is a coastal town in Southern Norway. It’s as idyllic as it can feel depressing, depending on what mood our main character is in. To me, it looked gorgeous most of the time, but the offbeat humor and satire obviously highlighted the more sinister note.

Often in stark contrast to the sitcom, constantly leading with its laugh track at the forefront.

The runtime of Life at Sandy’s is just 75 minutes, so it’s a quick watch, which is due to the filmmaker knowing where to cut. I can’t wait to see what Aleksandra Hansen does next, but hopefully, having this genre treat playing at film festivals will give her the chance to start her next project soon.

Life at Sandy’s is still playing at film festivals. We’ll update this review with information on a wider release when available.

Details

Director: Aleksandra Hansen
Writer: Aleksandra Hansen
Stars: Heather Cunningham, Marianne Løge, Thea Green Lundberg, Andrew Gabriel, Amy Biedel, Rachel Thundat, Stuart McLean, Jånni Kristiansen