[Review] Relic(2020) {7.5/10}

Relic marks the directional debut of Natalie Erika James. Starring Emily Mortimer (Kay), Bella Heathcote (Sam) and Robyn Nevin (Edna), the movie tells us a story by merging the horror genre with an allegory of Dementia.

In Relic, Kay(Emily Mortimer) learns that her aged mother, Edna(Robyn Nevin), hasn't been seen in a while. So Kay and her daughter Sam(Bella Heathcote), drive from Melbourne to Edna's country home. Inside they find many odd clues like notes which consist of daily routines such as 'when to cook', 'when to sleep', etc. They also find food left out for a non-existence pet. Kay files a missing report of her mother. Kay and Sam then decide to stay there for a while and wait. Surprisingly, Edna suddenly turns up in the kitchen one day, making tea. She has no memory of what happened and she also has a black bruise on her chest. A doctor recommends that someone look after her, so Kay and Sam decide to stay a bit longer. Unusual and creepy things begin to happen everyday including strange noises, nightmares. Sam also discovers a secret room in the house which was filled with creepy and horrifying stuffs.

The movie is not straight-forward at all. It is veiled with metaphors for Dementia which is shown from a horror angle. The secret maze discovered by Sam in the house depicts the state of mind of Dementia patients and how they are trapped in their own mind. The Black Bruise shown on the chest of Edna depicts the slow proggression of the illness as Dementia destroys it's victims from the inside. The story of their Great-Grandfather depicts the symptoms of Dementia. The disease runs in their family which is why we can see a Black Bruise, forming on the back of Kay. Edna is shown as a Devil/Ghostly figure in the end which depicts her as a trouble. It also depicts the mind of the Demented patients i.e. completely blank. Most of the people see their older parents as a trouble and want to run away from their responsibilities or get rid of them. In this movie, Kay sees her mother as a trouble in her busy life and wants to put her in an old age home. Edna's woodsy house depicts her consciousness and how she is broken from the inside.

The Moral of the story is that we should take care of our elderly and should not let them feel alone. We should always stand by their side, no matter how big the problems are. The Atmosphere that the movie creates in this ghost-less ghost story is sublime in which the house is haunted by the demon of Dementia. However this movie might not be for everyone. Veiled with metaphors, Relic is scary, sad and sometimes awful but it offers Hope in that horror.

Relic is now available on VOD, DVD and Streaming.