Starve Acre

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..

Writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo has taken a stab at the folk horror genre in his sophomore feature, Starve Acre.

A slow paced tale about how a local legend starts to influence- and take over- the personality of a young boy, that is being raised in this rural setting.

Though, much like we saw previously, in Run Rabbit Run...it's moreso about the psychological affect this change has on his parents...as opposed to the child, himself.

How they, as the one's who are supposed to offer their child unconditional love, are forced to cope with the ordeal that has become the focal point of their, and their child's, life.

As their son becomes increasingly disconnected, and violent.

While claiming to have formed a relationship with an "imaginary" character, from a local folk tale, central to their idyllic little town's lore.

Before succumbing to an asthma attack.

Obviously, dealing with such a situation starts to have an effect on their individual mental health.

On top of their relationship with one another, and the other people in their lives.

Which is precisely what Kokotajlo has set out to explore in this film.

Though, in typical folk horror fashion, things start to take a turn in a wildly different direction.

And start to get weird.

As we learn how what we've been watching unfold, connects back to the land...and their family's ties to it.

As what ensues becomes increasingly more vicious.

Despite the creepily alluring atmosphere that permeates the film...it seems to have rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Which is, no doubt, a result of it's convoluted plot structure...and the way the film ends.

As it concludes on both a bizarre, and slightly confounding, note.

Which requires that you had paid rather close attention to it's more subtle elements, in order to garner a proper understanding of it.

And truly appreciate it, for what it is.

I rather enjoyed it.

But completely understand why many have taken issue with it, at the same time.

While not perfect...it's a solid little folk horror, that takes it's place alongside titles like The Whicker Man and The VVitch.

Even if it's not quite as laudable as those examples.

If you are a fan of the folk horror genre...this is likely going to be up your alley.

However, if you aren't as acclimated and familiar with this type of film, you might want to pass it by.

I certainly enjoyed it, though.

And must admit...it kept me intrigued, throughout.

6 out of 10.

This is a movie that I only found out about through Dead Meat Presents and it had Matt Smith, so I decided to watch the movie and it was okay.

Positives for Starve Acre (2024): Matt Smith gives a good performance as the father and it's easily the best performance in the movie. The sound design in this movie is genuinely creepy and terrifying. The movie takes its time to get to the big climax and when it gets there, it pays off perfectly.

Negatives for Starve Acre (2024): I wasn't all that invested into this story, but I'm rarely invested into folk horror and I can't remember the last time I was invested into a folk horror story.

Overall, Starve Acre (2024) is a decent enough folk horror movie that will appeal more to fans of this subgenre in horror, but it's still a movie that I would still highly recommend this movie if you're a fan of House of the Dragon like me.

I think this movie deserve more love. As many reviews pointed out already, it is a slow, beautiful, and well-acted movie.

I agree that the pace and lack of visual horrific elements can be problematic for many viewers. Same thing with the mood, which fluctuate between gloomy and very gloomy.

On the other hand it was almost a comforting movie on my side, and for this I think ambiance is the key. There are no shouts or noisy arguments despite the traumas of the characters. The actors quiet and brilliant acting is in tune with the soft unsettling strangeness feeling that looms over the moor.

Give it a try!

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?