by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $12.01
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Lara Robinson, Michael Budd, Holly Brisley, Masa Yamaguchi, Caroline McQuade, Will Gabriel, Jak Wyld
Intro:
… a scenic slow-burn with an abrupt end.
After breaking into the industry as Laurence Fishbourne’s body double in The Matrix Reloaded, Michael Budd’s own cinematic efforts have found interesting ways of refreshing old cliches. From his memory-bleed approach to ‘torture porn’ in Love of my Life, to the weirdly tense party flick Life of the Party, even the more conventional dementia drama Ruby’s Choice; it’s not always stellar, but Budd certainly has a decent handle on how to present familiar stories through unfamiliar lenses. And his latest is no different.
Set in a dystopian near-future, where the environment has become so polluted that healthy living conditions are reserved for those who can afford the ‘opulence’, Enter Sanctum is a lo-fi sci-fi take on a haunted house, with the titular residence being built on the remains of an especially unethical sanatorium. The worldbuilding surrounding that premise is admittedly subtle, as the looming presence of The State tends to take precedence over any enviro-messaging, but it does a good job at painting a properly perverse picture of privilege; being able to reside somewhere without the worry of water or air toxicity… and yet so many of the residents still spend their time indoors, rather than take in the genuinely-beautiful coastline.
From there, the film’s depiction of the spectre of the sins committed in the name of mental health as actual spectres is mostly effective. The atmosphere coming through Casimir Dickson’s sterile cinematography and Gisula’s necromantic drone soundtrack give Sanctum a suitable feeling of unease in the midst of pricey comfort, and Paul Black’s editing makes for fun moments to illustrate the effects of the ghostly possessions that the residents slowly succumb to. The actual effects work for the ghosts and even the possession doubling can be a bit cheesy, but not to the point of directly interfering with the spooky vibes on offer.
As the camera gradually ticks down the days spent on this island, following the residents as they slope into actual mental disorders (both Cotard and Capgras get a showing here), the film essentially revolves around two characters: Walt the caretaker (Michael Budd) and teenager Jane (Lara Robinson). The performances are quite good, if a bit hammy during the final act when everything goes bonkers, but Budd and Robinson are impressive. Budd as the focal point everyman and Robinson, who elevates her Goosebumps-tier role of the child seeing the truth that none of the adults can comprehend with some nicely grounded depictions of her own spectre. They make for a good buddy duo.
However, the biggest issue here has to do with the conclusion; namely, how it barely even feels like one to begin with. After a good hour-plus of well-scaled tension and paranoia, not only is the climax lacklustre (with a jarring-as-all-hell shift into action movie logic for some reason) but it comes across like a Monty Python And The Holy Grail situation where they didn’t get around to making an actual ending and just… stopped where it made the most sense. Maybe? It doesn’t do much to pay off the preceding commentary on class divides or historical treatment of the mentally unwell or even environmental care, which is a shame for a film that actually made good points beforehand.
Enter Sanctum is a scenic slow-burn with an abrupt end. The script from Margaret McDonald gives director Michael Budd his most thematically-rich feature to date, with a nervy atmosphere and a solid approach to a classic horror conceit. But even given its slight run time, it still feels like there was enough here to properly tie up all those statements and sensations with a bow by the end, which unfortunately isn’t the case. Still, even if it didn’t stick the landing, the ride getting there is still pretty entertaining.
