I have to admit, despite some great reviews that this film got on its release in 2019 I never quite got interested enough to make the effort to see it. But I came across it on Netflix the other night and thought I’d give it a go. And I’m damn pleased I did!!
Staring the ever brilliant Octavia Spencer as the title character Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington, Luke Evans as Ben Hawkins, Juliette Lewis as Erica Thompson and Diana Silvers as Maggie Thompson, the film really starts with Maggie and her new classmates being befriended by the seemingly kind but lonely Ma. Ma allows the youngsters to drink and party in her basement, even buying them the drink and providing them with snacks. It’s a weird mix to watch, sort of 50% kind, 50% unnerving.
Eventually more and more youngsters are hanging out at Ma’s, but this coincides with Ma’s obsession with her young friends getting darker and darker, with many of them reporting missing jewelry. Our group of youngsters decide that they will no longer go to Ma’s and to cut off all contact with her, but she gets them to meet her, explaining that her odd behavior is down to medication for prostate cancer. Now, I’m not a doctor, or an expert on human anatomy, but……..
(I like to think this is just Ma playing on the naivety of her young friends and not a mistake in the writing)
The final act is pretty graphic in how it shows just how damaged Ma is. I should mention that there are flashbacks threaded throughout this film that show Ma as a young teen and how she was treated by her schoolmates and it’s these moments that change the feel of the film from fatal attraction-esq to almost a anti bullying message, all wrapped up in a traditional thriller.
All in all what director Tate Taylor has created is a very clever film that moves at a fair pace, but doesn’t feel rushed or stretched and, most importantly, is entertaining. Taylor’s high point for me so far is 2016’s The girl on the train, but this is right up there I think, helped by a great showing by Spencer as our protagonist.
A solid effort by all involved 8.5/10
Dead Mans Chest 