I had been hearing good things about Absentia for a long time. It seemed to be popular amongst my favorite writers on the internet, and was lingering on my Netflix Instant queue for a long time... Until one day, like the gentleman in the film, it disappeared. I was sad. But it continued to linger on my DVD queue... And then one day... Bang! What a pleasant surprise!
Absentia is not only a good flick, but it's one of those where your feelings about it are amplified once you watch the extras and know the backstory. I mean it's a really good (if pretty low-key) film on its own, but once you learn about it's lowbudget-kickstarterness (and general inexperience of the filmmakers) it's hard not to love. But I'll try to not let that color this entry.
Fair warning: some of this is spoilery. Just see the movie. It's really good. I mean, it's understated and not full of action, but in terms of not-too-dark indie psychological horror it's the real deal.
Absentia is about Tricia, a woman whose husband Daniel upped and disappeared one day about seven years prior. She is (understandably) heartbroken, and is ready to take the painful step of officially having him declared deceased. Apparently, once someone has been gone for a long enough period of time, you can have them declared dead and collect on all those sweet death benefits (the more you know). Tricia has been having a very hard time with this, and is starting to have waking nightmares/visions because of the stress. Her sister Callie (a somewhat drug-addicted nomad) has turned up to help Tricia through it, and also to help her move and start over. Oh, and for good measure, Tricia is pregnant. Not from her absent husband, obviously.
Anyways, just as Tricia is getting on with her life (and going out on an DATE! Just to twist the knife a little) Daniel reappears out of nowhere. He's malnourished, not really able to speak, and seems to be in mental anguish. And there's this weird tunnel not too far away from Tricia's house... and Callie had a really weird experience there just the other day... hmmm.
So, Absentia ends up being a supernatural/psychological look into exactly what may have happened to Daniel while he was missing. But it stays really grounded, so don't expect any big fireworks, nutso special effects, or big set pieces or anything like that. Honestly, it's low key and unassuming - probably mostly because of the low budget. But it ends up working in the film's favor. But I also wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's pissed off by vagueness. It's one of those films where what "actually" happened could be debatable... depending on one character's state of mind.
For what essentially amounted to a "hey guys, let's make a movie!" film, the acting is pretty good. Katie Parker is solid as Callie, the sister who comes into town - she's sort of the audience surrogate to witness all the weird stuff that's happening. She's not quite able to sell her backstory (she just doesn't look haggard enough for the drug-addled drifter backstory she's saddled with), but once she settles in she's a good main character, and has believable chemistry with her sister. And Courtney Bell is very good as the sister Tricia (the wife of the missing man). She's pregnant - not by him and not planned for in the script either - but they just roll with it and it works. Bell has got a little meatier role and really sells the emotional roller coaster ride that Tricia is on. Some of the supporting cast was a little awkward, but again, for a film made by a group of friends it's better than you might expect. Also, there's something nice about seeing regular-looking people in movies every once in a while. It lends a story like this a little more realism when not everybody is Hollywood Pretty.
But back to Tricia being pregnant - it works well for the film, but seems indicative of how a lot of things just went right for Absentia. Writer-director Mike Flanagan even admits as much, saying "even you having the DVD and watching this at home was beyond our wildest dreams." The pregnancy wasn't planned, but absolutely enriches Tricia as a character and gives some extra dramatic weight to the overall film. And when they started to raise money for the film - they didn't even have a script! And it just so happened that the camera they shot with looked good in low light situations (it was all shot with natural light) - and it looks pretty good! Normally the whole situation seems like it would spell trouble. I'm sure there are many films that started with the same set of circumstances that ended up being unwatchable, if they got finished at all. So I'm not saying that the cast and crew didn't bust their asses, but a lot of things went right for them as well. I think you always need a little luck, and it seems everyone here had that on their side.
Horror-wise? Well, it's kind of a slow burn… And it would be *entirely* so if it goes husband didn't pop up every once in a while for the random jump scare (we the audience are privy to Tricia's hallucinations). And once you get to the "good stuff," the [redacted] stays mostly obscured. But thanks to be clever direction, an ominous vibe, and good tension, you're never mad at Absentia. Once you get a feel for the film, you don't end up expecting any gore or nuttiness - it commits to a vague and uneasy vibe, and rides that through to the very end of the film. (I could complain about the closing shots, but it would just be a waste.)
So yeah, Absentia is pretty damn good. I had heard a lot about it, but don't think it was overhyped by any means. In a way, I think it came out a few years too early. If this came out now, I think it probably would be getting a slightly lesser It Follows treatment. The world is just a little more open to embracing indie horror now that it was five years ago. Absentia is not quite as slick as some of the more recent indie horror success stories... while it looks good, you can also tell it was pretty cheap. But it's still a solid and surprisingly good film.
I would highly recommend this film.
I would highly recommend this film.
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