Limiting Relic to the “haunted house” moniker does this indie creeper a great disservice. A haunted house premise usually relies on the presence of ghosts or other supernatural entities, and Relic, on its surface, appears to present just that – but does it? A closer look reveals a complicated, psychological back-and-forth raging within a distraught family over the fate of its eldest member. Through this lens, Relic is less about an evil entity manipulating events and more about the ravages of old age and the toll it can take on those left in charge of a declining loved one. The only ghosts are those of fond memories being slowly eaten away by the sometimes horrific process of aging, which leaves only turmoil for those left to deal with the fallout.
Director Natalie Erika James cleverly sets Relic up to be a potentially run-of-the-mill genre piece, and largely keeps us on that path until the film’s surreal third act freak-out. Glimpses of shadowy beings suggest demonic possession or ghostly intruders, while horrific dreams and half-seen hallucinatory visions/memories point towards a generations-old curse or tainted bloodlines (with the latter hitting closer to the mark). James’s slowly paced march towards the truth may prove too much for strict genre fanatics, but it’s this build-up that makes the unnerving conclusion well worth the wait.
Relic centers on the strained relationship between Edna (Robyn Nevin), her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer), and Kay’s daughter Sam (Edna’s granddaughter, played by Bella Heathcote). After Edna goes missing from her isolated home in the country, Kay and Sam temporarily move in to aid in the search and begin to make sense of the elder’s sinking mental state. When Edna returns out of the blue, it’s clear something isn’t quite right about her, and Kay and Sam begin noticing strange occurrences. At times, Edna seems like her old self, but is prone to unexpected fits of erratic behavior and increasing violence. Dementia is assumed the culprit, but as James paints on layers of foreboding imagery, we’re never exactly sure.
As the film progresses, so does the weirdness – and before you even realize what’s happening, we’re plunged headfirst into a complete cerebral tailspin. The final act is a maze of tension and unsettling imagery that skillfully mimics the mental and emotional battle families face when presented with difficult choices about the care of a deteriorating loved one. Kay and Sam are gripped with a mixture of fear and confusion while being pursued and hunted by a stranger who only now resembles their beloved family member. The unknown territory they’ve been thrust into is eerily reminiscent while being totally alien at the same time – and when it’s all said and done, no matter what’s happened and no matter the appearance of the shell left before them, they vow to never stop being a family.
The final sequence of Relic is among my favorites I’ve seen yet this year. When you realize it’s not a demon or spirit possessing Edna to do bad but her own capacities turning against her causing all the chaos, Relic takes on new meaning. What becomes clear is that, while scary, dementia isn’t evil. What is scary, though, is that we’ll all be ripe for the picking one day. That’s where the film’s real horror lies.
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James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.