Starve Acre

In my opinion a 5.3 score for this film is a very harsh score. Yes it's not a fast paced Hollywood slasher horror movie, it's a slow paced moving film. The beautiful setting in the English countryside, the century old house, the green hills, it all contributes to the weight of the story. The cast is doing an excellent job in conveying the really deep twisted message the director is trying to tell. But most of all, what really took me by surprise, was the sheer originality of the story. Fair to say by the end my jaw was on the floor, with the brutal ending and the realization of what had just happend.

As a fan of folk horror, small-production films, and Matt Smith & Morfydd Clark, I admit I might have had too high expectations. Especially since it took two years between the first limited release and the wide release on streaming platforms, the sheer anticipation raised my hopes even more.

With all that in mind, I still feel the film missed its potential because the thing with small production is that it relies on atmosphere-building and a good storyline. And both of those aspects could have been better.

For instance, regarding the atmosphere, I think they succeeded in portraying grief as raw, lasting, and sometimes merged with magical thinking and anger. Sometimes, it's bearable, and the characters even manage to squeeze a smile and get excited about things they work on or even an unexpected family visit. The grief is ever-present but fluctuating in intensity, which feels realistic, unlike Hollywood cliches that tend to go over the top. However, the film lacks in creating suspense due to the pacing and some scenes that feel disjointed. When you think it will pick up and elevate the tension, it moves to another scene.

Which brings us to another issue of storytelling. While the overall idea is good, the film would have benefited from a more developed lore. You quickly learn there is a lot at stake, but they never tell you why, and it somewhat obscures the characters' motivations. Without knowing more about mythology, we fail to see the appeal and the temptation of some choices they make. For this reason, I believe it was challenging to wrap up the film in a satisfactory way, and they chose a tried and "safe" route instead. In theory, it could have worked great, but in practice, it feels stretched and even forced at some times.

The problems might have roots in the original material - Andrew Michael Hurley's book of the same name, as some works of literature are untranslatable to movie screen. Or perhaps the author failed to develop the mythology sufficiently, so the movie crew did not have much to work with. I still haven't read it but intend to, which means that, despite its shortcomings, the film succeeded in provoking some curiosity. And if you drop your expectations - which, sadly, was impossible for me - it may work even better, who knows?

This movie is well done in most regards, but it'll test your patience right up to your breaking point. I don't need or want a horror movie to be action-packed, but there needs to be a progression of things actually happening. This movie is around 60% slow, moody shots of people or things sitting still (think like in a Yorgos Lanthimos film). These kind of shots can work very well when used in moderation, and when that kind of gravity is earned by the plot, but neither is the case here. There are only a handful of times in this movie when something actually happens, and really only two that are relevant to the overall plot. I love atmospheric and creepy horror, but I had a very hard time focusing on this. By the time it finally ramped up a bit at the end (which is the only good part of the movie), I only had a rough idea of what was happening because my mind had drifted so many times during the tedious, slow dialogue that accounts for around 30% of the runtime. This needed to be at least half an hour shorter. The unearned slow parts just make it feel like a half-baked (although very cool) concept with filler to make it a normal runtime.

After watching this film I know what it's like to drown in molasses. I honestly wanted to like this, I love a good folk-horror movie. But it soon became clear that this wasn't good at all. Sure, the actors tried their hardest and I give them credit for that. But they were fighting against the current and it eventually overwhelmed them. I have nothing at all against slow films, I love Last Year At Marienbad but there's a real art involved in holding the viewer's attention at such a pace. You risk sending an audience to sleep if you do it badly. And that's the result here. 4 points for the effort..

Yes it was slow but for me I enjoyed the premise, Jack in the Green, Wicker Man stylee.

Atmospheric setting with good acting, I hope the Hare was not unsettled by the nipple scene !

Suspenion of disbelief was easy with the quality of the actors, Matt Smith held his poise and the countryside provided a suffocating atmosphere that caught and held me to the conclusion.

Whenever I watch a film described as horror it's difficult to discern the nature of that type of horror as there are so many different genres but for me this reminds of Hammer films, typically British in its style and delivery.

If you are enjoy atmospheric chillers I would recommend this.