Review: A nightmarishly good character actor obscures everything else about ‘The Front Room’

As someone who has spent countless hours indulging in the bizarre and the outrageous in the realm of horror cinema, I found “The Front Room” to be a delightful, albeit peculiar, addition to the genre. The film’s audacity to combine elements of dark humor, scatological scenes, and religious overtones is nothing short of refreshing.

In “The Front Room,” I find myself whispering to myself, incredulously, as if in disbelief. This role is played by Brandy Norwood, who’s back in the horror genre after 26 years since “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.” The strange mix of grotesque bodily functions and sinister smiles directed by Max and Sam Eggers might initially leave one puzzled. These directors are the half-siblings of Robert Eggers, a more recognized name in the genre scene, having created “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.” Yet, amidst this excessively exaggerated and tonally strange production by the Eggers brothers less known to us, there exist hidden delights.

Following her termination due to discrimination as a professorship, Belinda (Norwood) and her spouse Norman (Andrew Burnap), who works as a public defender, find themselves in a difficult financial situation. A seemingly simple resolution presents itself when Norman’s father passes away, leaving behind everything he owned. However, there’s a condition: his widow, the devout and manipulative Solange (Kathryn Hunter), wants the couple to take her in to live with them until she dies.

Raised under the strict Christian and racially prejudiced upbringing of Solange, Norman cautions Belinda about her disapproval towards their interracial union. Yet, with a child on the horizon, a solitary income, and a house that needs mending, they reluctantly welcome Solange into their home. Over time, however, Solange subtly exerts control over their living quarters, thoughts, and even the choices they make together as couple.

The character of Hunter is first seen at a funeral, cloaked in black and leaning on two robust canes as they tap ominously against the wooden floors. Her movement is slow, almost as if emerging from a prolonged sleep. Yet it’s her shrill voice and distinct Southern accent that create an appearance of innocuous kindness, deceiving Belinda into thinking Hunter’s intentions are pure. To complicate matters further, Hunter claims to have a unique bond with the Holy Spirit, expressing this connection through speaking in tongues.

The unsettling concept of “The Front Room” doesn’t quite hint at the unexpected mix it offers: hilarious one-liners, startling flatulence, and scenes of such darkly amusing strangeness that they seem more fitting for a crude teenage comedy. It appears that Solange’s offensive behavior, where she harasses her housemates mercilessly, is the central theme that the Eggers are trying to convey. She behaves as if she requires as much attention as a newborn baby, using her exaggerated sickness as a weapon.

The perverse playfulness with which Hunter handles even the most grotesque scatological scenes fuels a disturbing yet stellar performance, one that’s far more memorable than the movie as a whole. A revered actor with a long career in the theater and seen in recent films such as “Poor Things” and Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Hunter is a disruptive force. Meanwhile, Norwood’s wide-eyed reactions to the jaw-dropping boldness of Solange’s antics serve as a potent grounding agent, leaving her in a wholly justified state of perpetual shock . If “The Front Room” packs any surprises, they certainly come in how far Solange is willing to take her foul attacks.

In their quest to infuse midnight-movie fun with a critique on race and the dominance of Judeo-Christian ideology in American culture, the creators of this work may have diluted its shock value. The blend of religious symbolism and forceful maternal imagery that the protagonist encounters in ghostly visions comes across as uninspired and predictable. Instead, one might consider the 2022 Mexican hit “Huesera: The Bone Woman,” a supernatural thriller exploring similar themes of first-time parenthood, where the metaphors are more seamlessly woven into the narrative fabric.

Rediscovering a predictable ending diminishes the prestige that “The Front Room” had previously built as an intriguingly clever piece of unconventional trash. Despite its flawed climax, viewers in cinemas are likely to react with audible disgust, one shocking sequence after another.

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2024-09-07 14:01