WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Life can be difficult enough when you’re a teenager. Having to confront the realities of simply growing up, filled with all the myriad of challenges which arise thanks to aspects of existence that begin to showcase just how MUCH one needs to adapt to, overcome, and move forward from, all while just trying to have those best friends to hang and have fun with in order to make it through the wonder years that are high school. Of course, this might be a mite MORE of a test when one’s best friend is going through…..a particularly bad and…unique…issue. For Samidha (Megan Suri), an Indian-American girl, finding herself is already enough of a burden. But, her search for true self-identity is made even more unexpectedly tumultuous when her former BFF Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) wants her to help alleviate an eerie and unsettling problem–unwittingly unleashing a malevolent entity bent on one goal–gaining their souls.
Next, my Mind:
Teen angst and tendency towards overt judgement, our search for acceptance and acknowledging who we really are, the weight of loneliness, merely being different, the deep bonds of true friendship, and having to encounter and conquer our inner demons gets metaphorically and quite literally explored through this 99-minute indie horror feature from writer/director Bishal Dutta, writer Ashish Mehta, producers Raymond Mansfield and Sean McKittrick, plus executive producers Arielle Boisvert, Jeff Deutchman, Ryan Friscia, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Jameson Parker, Tom Quinn, Emily Thomas, and Shawn Williamson. As anyone who’s read my reviews over the last several years, it is a VERY particular style of horror that captures my attention–and THEN it needs to be done RIGHT or otherwise fail miserably in my mind. I went into this film with a typical sense of trepidation–and ended up very gratifyingly surprised with the effort I witnessed.
Set in America but ultimately focused on an Indian-American teen who comes face to face with her own home culture’s mythology in an utterly terrifying (and completely involuntary/inadvertent, totally unwelcome way!), the film does a highly effective job at building up the kind of creepy, disturbing atmosphere that is founded on what we CAN see vs. what we CAN’T, only offering HINTS initially as to what we might be about to behold as opposed to just “throwing it out there.” And this works in conjunction with the film’s music compositions that so deftly underscore these moments of constant dread and foreboding. Once the film begins to reveal more and more about the dark force at work here, it only makes it that much more frighteningly unnerving, especially if you try and put yourself in that situation as conveyed–the haunting, menacing actuality of being HUNTED.
Now, mind you, we’re NOT remotely treading on any new ground as a whole here, BUT, this critic felt from his ongoing experiences with South Asian-based cinema that it’s because we’re being taken on this freaky ride through the eyes of another society/culture’s lore, it makes things fresh enough to discover and experience the make-your-skin-crawl chills intended, certainly focused on our innate fears of what lurks in the dark corners of our minds–and closets–and hallways–etc, etc. But, as South Asian film is so adept at, there’s plenty of thematic tangents being utilized amidst the scares, from being an immigrant, culture clashes, fitting in, battling feelings of isolation, anxiety, fear, and alienation, to what we carry within that needs to be dealt with, past guilt, the importance of devotion to others no matter what, and even falling in love. It all finds a place here while a seriously diabolical monster is wrecking havoc on everyone’s lives.
This leads me to the visual presentation here, which I also felt was executed beautifully, as mentioned above, so as to make us be on the edge of our seats one minute and then at least a little at peace before hitting us again with ominous images, shadowy imagery, and blatant hits of sheer horror that again work on your mind as much as your eyes. An ode, in my opinion, to “The Grudge” occurs that STILL represents something I get so freaked out by when it comes to this type of horror, and I will say that the creature/demon involved here is no less ominous, sinister enough to make anyone wishing to try and look at any kind of shadow again think twice (or MORE, really), ensure their closet is CLOSED (like THAT helps!), and have that sense of “something’s watching me” in high gear. This is the exceptional beauty of South Asian efforts no matter what their filmed country of origin is, and again, I believe this IS what works so well in this project’s favor.
The finale is one that I felt fits the film perfectly, plain and simple, delivering, perhaps, expected outcomes but satisfyingly so. Suri comes across with a wonderfully energetic, wholly grounded, and absolutely purposeful degree of emotional, dramatic intensity through her role as Samidha, a young teen girl wanting to find her own way in the world, initially apart from the “rules” of her family’s origin country through going for a more Americanized outlook. But, when her prior best friend suddenly re-enters Samidha’s circle–and then subsequently shakes it up to a decidedly harrowing magnitude–she finds herself thrust into a conflict of ancient proportions and current relevancy that will decide the fate of all whom she cares for as well as herself. I enjoyed the character as Suri portrays her, emotively imbuing Samidha with both strength and vulnerability, having almost no impression of overacting or feigned apprehension from the actress, but rather just an overall believability, at minimum for what fashion of film we’re watching, especially when melodrama tends to come out in depicting panic and terror, which Suir avoids to me.
Krishnan likewise provides a completely apropos level of deep-seated apprehension, total terror, and ultimately an inner strength as well through her role as Tamira, Samidha’s ex-bestie who has the entire concept of “what we hold inside” redefined. Once the evil gets loose, Tamira’s potential fate must be decided, and can only be resolved by someone who now must herself face the music but also reconnect with what she’s lost in order that they can both escape the beast and possibly come back together as they were. Primary supporting turns arrive first through Neeru Bajwa as Samidha’s fully traditional mother Poorna whose frustrations with what she deems is her daughter’s cultural rebellions might actually mask a deeper guilt from her own past that she’s been hanging onto. As events unfold, it becomes evident that Poorna must put aside her initial opinions of Samidha’s choices and come to the aid of her child as she needs to.
Bajwa embraces the character’s dilemmas, both personal and cultural with a well-enacted bravado. Next is Vik Sahay as Samidha’s much more societally open and (for the most part) quietly reserved father Inesh, a man who clearly adores and supports his daughter and her own free will to choose what aspects of life, whether American or Indian, she pursues–even if Poorna seems to resent him for it more often than not. But, his steadfast commitment to his family remains. Seeing Sahay in yet another type of role (so different from his comedic days on “Chuck” or dramaric turn in the film “Amal“) is consistently refreshing, and a pure testament that not only are there no small parts, but that the actor enjoys any and every attempt to diversify, which for this critic equals longevity. Betty Gabriel plays Joyce, a teacher at Samidha’s school who takes the troubled teen under her wing to try and see her excel in all the ways she’s able, though doesn’t see the true insanity she’s about to become a part of, which soon is a fight for survival.
Gage Marsh is Russ, a young man at Samidha’s school with whom she has eyes for, though whether she chooses to actually pursue this often seems in doubt. His commitment to her, however, even as a friend, is unwavering and persistent, though how things might end up for him once immersed in the circumstances at hand could be a question mark. Additional supporting appearances are made by Jamie Ives, Siddhartha Minhas, Saisha Muni, Paige Shaw, Sangeeta Wylie, and Carlo Yu. So, in total, “It Lives Inside” is more than a worthy horror feature to give a chance to, managing to transcend total cliché and instead imparting not only a multitude of cringe-inducing frights, but also a journey into our putting down our own inner demons, striving to be a cautionary tale that might teach us to put aside hate, anger, segregation, or anything that might destroy and feed on us so that we can have internal and external freedom free of strife and disharmony–mythological, supernatural, or otherwise!
STAR RATING (Out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
