Friday, September 26, 2014

Honeymoon (2014)

Honeymoon (2014) IMDB score 5.9/10. Per IMDB: A newlywed couple finds their lake-country honeymoon descend into chaos after Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of their first night.

And really that is all you need to know about this film. Honeymoon has just four actors in the entire movie, two of which are incredibly minor. The entirety of the movie features the leads, portrayed by Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway. A fair amount of time is devoted to fleshing out the honeymooning couple's relationship at the start of the film. The acting of the lovebird characters is remarkably natural and unforced. The audience gets the sense they are truly and intimately connected as soul mates. The development between Bea and Paul in the opening of the film by Leigh Janiak is necessary and vital to the story's progression and praised for its inclusion so the viewer can find the nuanced changes between the couple acutely unsettling.

Once Bea is discovered in the forest, alone in the middle of the night, the film is no longer a blissful honeymoon but an unnerving emotional nightmare. The gradual change within Bea and the relationship was cohesive and reasonably organic. From that point on the tension builds gradually but steadily with every beautiful frame. Director Leigh Janiak never reveals or foreshadows too much to expose the film's outcome but there are minor hints dropped along the way.

Excellent storytelling makes this "same old" story refreshing. Movie will keep playing with audiences, making them guess which horror sub genre will it go as the movie closes in? Is it good old "there's evil in the woods!" story? Is it a vampire movie? Is it something entirely else? Good atmosphere, good use of sets and locations. Good acting by Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway make somewhat B script seem much more larger and better then it actually is. 


The conclusion is consistent with the film but is not satisfying enough to give closure. Despite the undetermined openness to the ending I found Honeymoon to be emotionally chilling and a good watch, especially for anyone in a committed relationship.
I really enjoyed this movie. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys movies with imagination.

8.5/10

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