‘Matriarch’ Is Ambitious Folk Horror [Review]
Mary Beth McAndrews
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In Ben Steiner’s feature film debut Matriarch, intergenerational trauma meets folk horror. While such topics have been investigated through the subgenre before, Steiner forges a new path with his mythos and the final reveal of what is pulling the strings in this small English town. While not downright terrifying, the oppressive vibes of Matriarch are what will get under your skin.
Laura (Jemima Rooper) is a high-powered executive in London with lots of money and even more mental health struggles. She loves cocaine, alcohol, and late-night hook-ups. Plus she struggles with bulimia. Essentially she is a hot mess, a whirling dervish of chaos, who has unresolved trauma from an abusive mother Celia (Kate Dickie) and a father who died by suicide when Laura was young.
But, after Laura overdoses, she finds herself inflicted with a strange illness. She vomits black and nothing about her body feels right. In the midst of trying to figure out how to get her life together, she gets a call from her estranged mother. So, finding the timing strangely serendipitous, she makes the painful decision to go back to her hometown to confront her demons.
But when she arrives, something is wrong. No one seems to have aged. She finds a strange journal in her mother’s room full of sexual entries and discussions of complex sex positions. At first, it all just seems like awkward back-home-after-a-long-time vibes. But then she quickly realizes there’s something that has its grip on the town’s residents.
Rooper and Dickie’s performances are the emotional core of Matriarch, embodying the dizzying chaos of confronting trauma and your own destructive coping mechanisms. Rooper is the film’s focus and with so much screentime, she’s still able to remain consistent as we join her on her trip through emotional and physical hell. Dickie, always stunning, immediately oozes a sinister aura. No matter how much she smiles or offers to go for walks with Laura in the garden, everything feels like it has a double meaning.
Steiner creates fascinating lore, a cult religion, and a jaw-dropping goddess for Matriarch. Unfortunately, it doesn’t all come together to create a cohesive picture of what exactly is happening here. Disturbing images abound and Rooper and Dickie’s performances up the emotional stakes. These issues with lore are mostly made up for with an ominous and uncomfortable atmosphere.
Linked to the inconsistent lore is a jarring tonal shift from London to the countryside. As soon as Laura arrives home, her struggles with addiction and an eating disorder seem to fade into the background. Yes, the film addresses the trauma at the hands of Laura’s mother. But the connections between beginning, middle, and end are tenuous at best.
Despite tonal inconsistencies, Steiner makes an admirable folk horror effort with the film. His commitment to developing a deep lore shines through, even if it doesn’t always come together. Matriarch is worth watching for those who love cosmic horror, creepy imagery, and a deeply unsettling atmosphere.
Matriarch is streaming now on Hulu.
Summary
Despite tonal inconsistencies, director Ben Steiner makes an admirable folk horror effort with his film ‘Matriarch’.
