A group of siblings, a family in a secluded location and
secrets left undiscussed have all been done before. Most famously many will
recall FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC. Those who’ve been exposed to more movies will
recall OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE, a movie I almost thought this was a remake of when
reading the description. But that description wasn’t quite near as revealing as
I thought it was before I began watching MARROWBONE.
A family of 5 recently arrived from England return to the
secluded ancestral home of the mother. Once there she insist the family leave
their past behind and change their name to Marrowbone. Each agrees and that
past isn’t mentioned though it haunts them later in the film.
Decaying and in need of repair having long been abandoned,
she is set to reclaim the home. Before she can do so she falls ill, spent from
the trip of coming back from overseas. She succumbs to her illness but not
before making her son Jack (George MacKay) pledge to keep safe and not let
anyone know until he turns 21 and can then own the land himself. She also
leaves behind a tin box with a secret. Before he can object she passes.
Not long after their mother’s passing a strange event
occurs. While sitting at her desk writing in her journal, a gunshot rings out
and shoots out a pane of glass in Jane’s room. She screams for Jack who shows.
The children all look out the window and recognize the shooter. At this point
the movie fast forwards 6 months.
Along with his siblings Jane (Mia Goth), Billy (Charlie
Heaton) and Sam (Matthew Stagg) the family does what it takes to survive. Jane
bakes items sold in the nearby town. The only one allowed to leave the estate
is Jack to insure no eyes are laid on the family or questions asked. While
there he meets up with Allie (Anya Taylor-Joy), the young girl who lives next
door to the estate that he’s fallen in love with. Mutually it seems.
But another suitor continues to pursue Allie. Porter (Kyle
Soller) is a local lawyer whose interest in Allie remains unreturned but never
puts him off. Porter is responsible for helping the family by drawing up the
papers for the ownership of the estate. He insists that Jack’s mother sign the
papers in front of him as well as demanding a fee to do so.
With no choice the siblings must use the money that was in
the tin box, ill-gotten gains from their father. What has become of him is as
yet undetermined. Jack takes the money and keeps Porter at bay insisting his
mother is too ill to see him face to face. With the help of Jane they forge her
mother’s signature, pay Porter and send him on his way.
Odd things happen in the house. Noises and creaking boards
permeate the air. Stains appear on the ceiling. And the children have hung
sheets over all of the mirrors in the house. Sam, the youngest of the group,
insist that these are to ward off the ghost that roams the house. But is it
really? And what, if not a ghost, is making the noises? What secrets does the
house truly possess?
From what little I knew of the film going in I was intrigued.
What the end result was is a mixed bag. The pacing is slow at first and that
can be off putting for some viewers. But don’t let that be the case. Stick with
it and find out more as the film progresses. The end result is a movie that
you’ll consider viewing a second time just to see what you missed the first.
I’ve read some reviews where those writing have said they
knew what the inevitable outcome was going to be before the final reel of the
film. I have to disagree. Yes, there were a few bits that I saw coming in
advance. But not the biggest surprise of all nor the ending that takes place.
Both elevated the movie in my eyes and left me reconsidering how good the movie
was from what I thought during the first 30 minutes or so.
Ghosts or no ghosts? Murderers or no murderers? A secret
past that follows a family or a newly created terror that fuels the story? Will
love triumph of will it fail as so often is the case in movies these days? And
will the ending actually provide a solution or more possibilities? The only way
to find out is to watch MARROWBONE and decide for yourself.
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