“Your father’s final request was… He wants you to take your mother into your home.”

Everything goes to hell for newly-pregnant Belinda (Brandy) after her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) moves in. As the diabolical guest tries to get her claws on the child, Belinda must draw the line somewhere…

Where hospitality goes to die

Confused, disturbed and kind of disgusted. That’s the major feelings that predominate after watching The Front Room. The Last A24 presentation, who accustomed us to offer unusual cinematographic experience, was a deception and left the viewer baffled by what he had seen. Was it a horror movie? Absolutely not. Too shaky to be scary. Was it a thriller? There’s nothing thrilling about it. The Front Room, is a hybrid piece sailing between a familial drama and an absurd dark comedy. 

Directed by the Eggers brothers, who previously released the acclaimed “The Lighthouse”, the feature seems to be a strange piece of work. In terms of raised problematics and artistic direction, the two directors offer us a show intending to blur the boundaries between dream and reality. Despite the honorable intentions, the story seems to go into multiple directions which induce confusion and a feeling of boredom.  

A creepy welcoming 

It’s confusing, because the development of the screenplay construction was really wheezy. The Front Room is shredded into small theatrical plays where every subject and problematic leads to the next one. It’s bewildering how it’s giving a strange pacing and at the same time, it’s impressive to see this type of construction.

Jumping from the story of a couple with their fear to become parents and their personal challenges to deal with Solange. The stepmother of Norman, a very religious grandma whose aura will disturb the life of the couple. It’s kind of a metaphoric style actually. We could easily interpret the fact that this creepy grandma is the life challenge that has to endure the couple through their life and they (the couple) are still weak and unprepared to deal with parenthood or couple issues. 

However, this approach needs to be perfected and needs a story less complicated to be fully appreciated. That leads to the disturbed feeling. The Front Room tackles many relevant subjects: racial issues, motherhood, family social matters, life-work balance among others. 

As a principal, it was very clever from the directors to treat this type of topic from a family point of view. Although, the movie struggles a lot to let the different strings of the plot cohabitate and on the contrary every one impaired the other.The movie wants to cover so much subject that none of them was correctly staged or enhanced by the artistic vision. 

Why showing how Belinda’s struggle in her work as a teacher and her relation with her colleagues if it’s to make her quickly quit? How her odd dreams are related to her personal bound or trauma with motherhood? Many questions rise to the top, maybe it’s intentional or maybe these questions are there as a diversion… 

Crazy grandma

Moreover, as the story goes the movie appears to be a reinterpretation of the “Evil step-mother” figure. A modern way to treat it through two levels. Solange, well played by Kathryn Hunter, is at the same time a step mother for their son Norman and step mother-in-law for Belinda. Norman hated her because she “tortured” his childhood meanwhile Belinda was keen to host her in the house because “She has no one”. This kind of role inversion, at first, was a good idea and a solid lead to treat family issues through the eye of a mother who is. in the end, “a stranger” for both of them. 

Unfortunately, the movie as it’s framed falls into a false psychological cheap thriller. Suspecting that Solange meant her harm as soon as she moved in, Belinda began to be more paranoiac about her ambiguous ambitions and her very religious way to cope with everything, especially with the way she raises her newborn. 

But that way that it was presented, the way that dominates the feature and this in-camera story is not strong enough to keep us on the edge of our seat. Too much literal and theoretical at the same time. Wanting to be an absurd object and a clear message. 

Furthermore, the irritating thing about The Front Room is the fact it could be a strong justification to why children abandon their elderly parents and an odd explanation to why nobody cares about them anymore. What, in the beginning, emerged as a sort of satirical message for the actual generation to take care of their parents turns out to be completely the opposite of that. The intentions of the movie became more and more perverted by the development of the characters and “That generation gap” instored from the beginning. That happens when you want to show many aspects and layers of your artistic vision but in the end no one is properly staged. 

Leaving the Front room to go outside 

The Front Room is a paradox, nonetheless it’s interesting to see this singular story. But unlike “The lighthouse” the Eggers brothers missed their target, leaving their fans with a sour taste of cinema…. Or maybe was it their goal?

Finally The Front Room is neither a horror movie nor a thriller. It’s a hybrid between a psychological drama and a cheap comedy where its dark side left the room (pun not intended).

Trailer