‘Evie’ Review
Stars: Holli Dempsey, Jay Taylor, Michael Smiley, Liam McMahon, Joanne Mitchell, Justin McDonald, Martelle Edinborough | Written and Directed by Dominic Brunt, Jamie Lundy
Co-directors Dominic Brunt and Jamie Lundy open their film on a moment of familial bliss, as a mother enjoys time on the beach with her two young children, Evie and Tony. As she leaves to put on dinner at their nearby home, she asks the children to not stay long on the beach. Her departure is followed by foreboding shots of the water and creepy whispering before the inquisitive Evie vanishes for a bit. She returns drastically changed, now reacting with violence and acting possessively over a strange item she found. Her altered self leaves the family shattered, as they are unable to cope with the young girl’s actions.
Time skips forward to a now adult Evie (Holli Dempsey), who has since been put up for adoption, institutionalized, and tries finding comfort in unsuccessful dates and alcohol. She cannot recall much about her past, although the opportunity arrives to fill in the blanks upon reconnecting with her brother, Tony (Jay Taylor). As she is invited to stay at their old family home, her hopes to reconcile with her past and find some peace within herself are hindered by old demons resurfacing.
Key to these reconnecting siblings are the terrific performances, as the pair capture their attempts to forge a future while their difficult pasts linger. They have both experienced trauma which involves attempted suicide, death, and adoption, followed by a painful aftermath. While Brunt’s screenplay can feel lacking in some regards, particularly some characterization, it does not let down the lead pair who are still feeling the impact of events which occurred in their childhood.
For a tale which made its world premiere at Frightfest, it is curious how the horror elements feel like an afterthought to this story. There is an effective drama about resurfacing trauma here, yet the film takes one out when a harbinger of doom suddenly appears in the form of a hospital patient making himself bleed. It is a shame this impacts the ending, as what was delivered is a solid enough without such an addition.
