Amulet is a vengeful weird fiction tale of mythical proportions.

Amulet is a supernatural weird fiction body horror film with a feminist take on revenge in a violent male dominated world. It’s a slow burn that is misleading from the start to reveal its true nature only at the end that is as shockingly brutal and violent as it is weird and astonishing. It’s a film that has created its own mythology to tell a feminist story of hurt from a male’s perspective, but with a clever undercurrent female gaze. 

While it subverts gender roles it results in an original twist that will turn the tables for each character and the main character’s view of himself and thereby the view of the audience towards him. It’s a smart film with social commentary, that is also highly entertaining with an eerie atmosphere and horrifying body horror. Amulet has a required taste that will speak to an audience that is willing to take on different perspectives in gender roles, and who can stomach the pretty gruesome gory scenes.

Plot

Tomaz is a homeless ex-soldier now living in London whose country recently was caught up in a war that now has ended. He struggles with a war trauma and doesn’t seem to be able to forgive himself from certain acts. He is taken in by a nun Sister Claire who introduces him to Magda who lives in a decrepit house where she has to take care for her sick and dying mother. He can stay for free, gets home-made dinner if he helps Magda and fixes the house. Magda is reluctant and doesn’t want him there. But Tomaz insists, he has nowhere to go and wants to help her, to make amends with his past. 

But something is not right in the house, and something is definitely not right with mother. What secret does the house hide and what supernatural forces are at play? Can Tomaz save Magda and atone for his acts in the war?

Why you should watch it

Amulet is a beautifully shot and told story about guilt, atonement and doing the right thing. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a film that although it’s told from a male’s perspective, it’s a feminist film about traditional gender roles of abuse of women, and with a twist that has a female gaze that will shock you and turn everything the film has taught you upside down. It holds a mirror to how we look at the world, at men and women and how we are used to be told certain stories about how gender roles are embedded into society and accepting it without thinking twice. That’s why the ending will be  a big revelation and might even upset you. 

Asides from this heavy and relevant social theme, Amulet brings wonderful and gruesome horror to the screen. It’s graphic gory body horror that will make you cringe, with a new and fresh mythology. Although the amulet, an effigy of a goddess is specifically conjured up for this film, its overall mythos reminds of gods and goddesses in relation to men and women before christianity. It’s both as real and violent as it is symbolical.

Read the explanation of Amulet, here.

The film starts slow and tells the story of Tomaz who once stood guard at the border in a vast forest. In that forest he finds an amulet buried in the earth. But he also finds a woman, Miriam, on the run, whom he hides and cares for, until the war will end. Through flashbacks we get to learn more about him, Miriam and what happened and why he suffers from trauma he wants to atone for. The structure is very intriguing and sets you on a path that is misleading.

The beautiful forest is in great contrast with the decrepit house, while both settings are creating an atmosphere of isolation. The house is dirty and falling apart around them. Just like mother is falling apart in the attic. While Magda is a prisoner of her ailing mother. Magda is a strange but intriguing person who feels rather off. The closed environment adds to the claustrophobic and weird atmosphere. 

Enhanced by the choice of music, the often surreal and alienating cinematography, the film lures you in to an ending that feels like A Dark Song (2016) mixed with Suspira (1977). It’s a surreal and mesmerizing experience full of gruesome graphic body horror that is hard to watch, an astounding reveal and female empowerment. It’s a very daring ending that will polarize opinions, but it also will linger in your thoughts long after the movie has finished. Amulet has given food for thought in gender-bending roles and about human evil and suffering that has become all too normal in our society. 

My favorite part

It was a totally bizarre ending. I love it when a film can play with your mind, can set you on a certain path that in the end proves to be the wrong path. That the film is actually about something else entirely which all comes together in the final scenes. The ending was a true surreal experience and for those who love something that is too weird, but also has something important to say, then this film is highly satisfying. Without condemning every man, it shows us how deeply rooted most belief systems about how the world works are, that not benefits everyone. That alone will make most of us uncomfortable, and therein lies the real horror. 

Ratings

Rating: ★★★★☆

Gore factor: ★★★★★

Scare factor: ★★★☆☆

Surreal factor: ★★★★☆

Gruesome factor: ★★★★☆

Originality factor: ★★★★★

Read more about Amulet:

• Amulet (2020) explained

Cast and crew

Amulet is directed and written by Romola Garai. It stars Carla Juri (Magda), Alec Secareanu (Tomaz), Angeliki Papoulia (Miriam), Imelda Staunton (Sister Claire) and Anah Ruddin (Mother).

Duration: 99 minutes. Music: Sarah Angliss. Cinematography: Laura Bellingham. Edited by: Alastair Reid. Produced by: Matthew James Wilkinson, Maggie Monteith. Production companies: AMP International, Dignity Film Finance, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, Kreo Films, Summercourt Films. Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing. 

Check the trailer below

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