The Yellow Wallpaper

I usually stay away from horror films, but this one depicted insanity in a remarkable way. Beautifully shot in an authentic setting Alexandra Loreth shines as a tragic figure in a downward spiral fixated on wallpaper. The opening scene is so shocking I won't describe it here, but it was well-played and gut-renching all at once. The movie is a little slow, but well-directed.

Horror genre at its best tackles (sometimes literally) themes and the society in which it was made. James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) worked as a 'self-made in articulate man' in an era where The Depression and impending war clouds in Europe were gathering. Heady stuff to compare that film and the now Classic Bride of Frankenstein (1935) with The Yellow Wallpaper (2021). This film and James Whale's Frankenstein films of the thirties have a common thread that influences the way the world and the story is told.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story adaption of an original story penned by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1890. The work is regarded as an example of what we today call "Feminist Horror' as it shows the societal (male) attitude towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century. The key is the 19th century, not today although some women do experience this when they visit their Physician only to have real problems ignored or put away to 'nerves".

James Whale was a 'Gay" man who brought his perspective to his films. The Yellow Wallpaper (2021) director Kevin Potuti is a trans/non-binary artist who works in film.

The 2021 film adaption works that source material thought at 21-century glass producing a slow-paced, picturesque film with a similar impact to Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965). The film is stark and naturalistic in its style drawing homage to the 'Found Film genre' examples of French New Wave such as Goddard's ground-breaking detective story Breathless (1960). I mention these examples as this style of film visual is not for all people who want their horror or their haunted house films with jump scares and faucets of blood.

The opening moments are classic Gothic with John (Joe Mullins) and his bride Jane (Alexandra Loreth) in her feature film debut making a trip by horse and carriage to a remote home. The closest moment to a jump scare occurs in the coach involving Jane and a reaction to a crying child. One wonders if this abrupt reaction was a hallucination or did happen as no one mentions it.

John turns out to be a Medical Doctor for the nearby village and has rented this home for three months. The stay is also twofold as Jane is thought to suffer episodes of depression. The two have had a child so this brings the postpartum depression into focus that was once thought of as laziness, madness and "feminine trouble all that Jane exhibits. While John works to pay for the accommodation Jane is left on her own tended to by two female servants Jennie (Jennie O Connor) and Mary (Clara Harte). This hire help tends to Jane's medication needs, serves breakfast and encourages her to get out in the world and explore. The two have an odd choice of costume as they appear usually in black lace heavy dresses almost funereal in look as they smile, dispense good wishes and thought that Jane's husband truly loves her. Jane explores the home and land each day growing more uneasy in small ways. She comes upon a mouse or rat tending to its family and is moved to tears. She is given her child to tend to and tries to bury the newborn in the dirt only to be rescued. All the while Jane is developing a thought that the yellow wallpaper in the bedroom is harbouring something. John is well-intentioned however he is forced to spend nights away tending to his patients creating more alone time for Jane.

Jane further detaches from reality when she looks out the bedroom window and sees someone like herself crawling in the dirt near a hedge. Like in Polanski's Repulsion (1965), sexuality becomes a chore to endure, and we see this in James's blank eyes during moments of coitus between her and the off-screen grunting husband. Her day is regimented by her caregivers which finally gives way to a final subtle descent.

This reworking of The Yellow Wallpaper (2021} features naturalistic acting means some of the words are slurred, spoken at low volume or booming at high levels. Alexander Loreth becomes more detached in the eyes and the voices as her world becomes hallucinatory. Joe Mullins as her husband delivers his work in large reassuring tones with stilted mannerisms of the day. This is a working medical man who has taken a young bride and had a child. Men of that time especially in professional occupations were often distanced from their families. Child rearing was left to the women. The acting is restrained and machine-like reflecting the disintegration of the household The Yellow Wallpaper (2021) is wonderfully photographed with expansive lush greens and stark echoey rooms in the home that add to the hollowness of the sound of the voices. The picture features no music except for a low electronic tone that is employed effectively like white noise. Most of the sounds are naturalistic with sounds of clopping feet on floors, birds, flies buzzing etc. And the pouring of water.

The Yellow Wallpaper is not a horror film but a descent into madness. Like Repulsion (1965) before it with jump cuts and naturalism in acting in Breathless (1960), particularly at the end, the film moves slowly to a feeling that this world is not right. Like Hollywood in the thirties with James Whale and others you have a non-heterosexual director making a comment on the story of Love from an 1890s source which makes for interesting disturbing viewing. Interesting another story that came from the period that took a look at the sexuality of the time was Bram Stoker's original novel Dracula. It did well for itself.

Lush exteriors, austere interiors, and the creepy music and sound set the scene. This treatment of the source material makes you wonder if we've progressed much since then about how we care for women who are suffering. Excellent work by everyone in front of and behind the camera.

A stark and chilling account of mental illness that portrays the ways in which women of the 19th century were dismissed as hysterical when enduring postpartum depression. Staying true to the original story penned by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1890, the film features a riveting performance by lead actor, Alexandra Loreth (in her feature film debut), with stunning visual storytelling by director, Kevin Pontuti. A mood and atmosphere that lingers long after the credits have stopped rolling.

Not sure what I expected from a gothic feminist horror film. Is A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night or Suspiria (both versions) also feminist horror?

The Yellow Wallpaper intrigued me, and after I finished, I read the original text on which it's based. Both are great, but for different reasons. The film abides by the emotion and spirit of the novella but takes on modern interpretations. I can't say what because it might give parts away.

The foreboding house and creepiness of the situation got under my skin, and I couldn't help but watch the ending in horror. Or maybe it was the tense soundtrack. I wished some scenes were shorter, but I think that of every movie I've watched (including Dune) in the last year, chalking that up to Covid isolation. But, oh hell, I think I'll watch it again with my wife.