The Front Room marks the directorial debut of twin brothers Max and Sam Eggers. Their big bro Robert's debut, The Witch, back in 2015 marked him as one of the most exciting talents of his generation and his reputation has only grown since then. This film does no such thing for the twins but it is a fairly interesting Psychological thriller.
Singer/actress Brandy plays Belinda, a pregnant anthropology professor who quits her job after she gets sick of her condescending (and possibly racist) treatment at work. This puts her and husband Norman (Andrew Burnap) in a financial bind but they are given a potential lifeline in the form of Norman's astranged stepmother Solange (Kathryn Hunter). Elderly and frail, Solange needs somewhere to live following the death of Norman's father and offers the couple access to her considerable finances in exchange for them taking her in. Norman is against the idea as Solange is a religious nut who made his childhood hell and thinks she has divine powers but Belinda reasons they need the money and time has probably mellowed his former tormentor. Turns out the couple may have bitten off more than they can chew however, and Belinda finds herself in a battle of wills, spirituality and weaponised incontinence.
The main reason to see The Front Room is the performances of central duo Brandy and Kathryn Hunter. Belinda suffers indignaties at every turn and is at various points in the film frustrated, afraid, hurt and overwhelmed but Brandy instils her with a steeliness that lets the audience know she's never out for the count. Restrained and composed (to a point) she keeps proceedings grounded. If Brandy is the film's anchor then Hunter is its soaring kite, giving a gloriously over the top and campy performance as Solange. Whether she's using her canes to stalk around the house like a velociraptor, warbling about her faith and "old fashioned" views or dishing out smug grins in Belinda's direction, her character fills every inch of the screen despite her tiny frame. For his part, Burns is fine as Norman but his character is bare bones, really only there as a witness to the battle of the two women and to indicate which way the tide is turning at any given moment.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of other undercooked elements cluttering up The Front Room. Belinda sleepwalks and has ominous dreams, Solange may be the leader of a cult, there's a Christianity versus theology angle, the issue of exactly how ill Solange is. None of this is really paid off and while its fine (and even good) for film makers to muddy the waters in aid of keeping the audience on their toes it adds to a sense the film doesn't know what it wants to be. It's too slight and the dialogue too inconsistent to be a genuine character piece, it's icky but not scary in a horror sense (we really should be passed the point where an old person's body frightens us) and while its certainly funny we veer a little close to the bone in terms of both racism and potential elder abuse to be considered a comedy.
The Front Room is inconsistent, unclear, and packs a low key ending that will frustrate some. On the other hand it packs in tense moments, laughs and two fantastic performances. Given the brief runtime (86 minutes) it's worth checking out. Unless bodily functions make you squeamish.
6 Confederate certificates out of 10 old pieces of paper.
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