So many horror movies have tackled grief that it's become something of a cliché in the genre. But unlike many horror movies, in which a death has occurred some time in the past and is still being processed by the protagonist at a later point, writer/director Julia Max's debut The Surrender is set in the immediate aftermath of the death of a loved one.
Megan (Colby Minifie) has recently returned home to help her mother Barbara (Kate Burton) look after the family's terminally ill patriarch Robert (Vaughn Armstrong). Megan also hopes to get er hands on some money her father promised before he passes. The mother and daughter have a fraught relationship to begin with (Megan smokes in secret while Barbara similarly drinks out of her daughter's sight), and it becomes exacerbated by their disagreements over how Robert should be looked after. Influenced by her yoga instructor "Debra" - who like Mrs Columbo, is often spoken of but never seen - Barbara has embraced alternative medicine that borders on the occult, with Megan shocked to find a "medicine bag" filled with human teeth under her father's bed.
When Megan and Barbara's failure to communicate leads them to accidentally give Robert an overdose of morphine, he passes away during the night. In the morning, rather than calling for an ambulance, Barbara reveals that she has another plan: Debra has recommended a shaman (Neil Sandilands) who claims he can bring the dead back to life. After initially flipping out, Megan decides to go along with her mother's plan for the sake of keeping her happy. Needless to say, things don't go exactly to plan.
Few movies have captured the unique stress of dealing with a sudden death in the family as vividly as The Surrender. It brought me right back to the death of my father, when I was surprised to discover how secretly spiritual my mother really was. I didn't share her beliefs, but like Megan I went along with them for her sake, but the last thing I wanted to be dealing with at such a stressful time was the mumbo jumbo of the religious community. The words they used to reassure my mother frankly sounded terrifying to my atheist ears: "You'll be together again soon," "He'll always be with you" and so on sent shivers down my spine. It might seem cold, but I prefer the idea that the dead are dead and that's the end of it. The notion that my parents might be spying on me from the beyond is something that doesn't bear thinking about.
As such, viewers of The Surrender will be divided by their philosophies while watching Max's debut. Some might hope it all goes to plan and Robert does come back from the other side. The rest of us will be hoping the shaman is exposed as a fraud and Barbara can finally see sense. What's clever about The Surrender is that both parties will ultimately be challenged by the direction it takes.
Some reviewers have said the film doesn't really kick in until the final act when the shaman arrives and begins his black magic. I have to disagree with such a take as I was gripped from the off by the relationship between this mother and daughter. The horror genre is long known for providing meaty parts for actresses over a certain age and Burton (whom genre buffs will likely associate with Big Trouble in Little China) is gifted one of the roles of her life here. Her performance adds layers of nuance to Barbara, making her far more complex than simply a one-note victim of online rabbit holes. Minifie is equally good as a daughter trying to balance her sense of reason with respect for her mother's wishes. Max's script contains some astute nuggets of wisdom, like how Barbara reveals to her daughter just what a flawed husband Robert really was, but how she accepted his flaws regardless because he also accepted hers: "That's what love is."
It's when the supernatural takes over that I began to lose interest, as The Surrender begins to drift into all too familiar territory. The influence of Lucio Fulci and Clive Barker can be seen in the vision of the other side we're presented with here, but for all the initial philosophising, the ultimate message is little more than "don't mess with death." The final act of The Surrender is essentially a poor cousin of the similarly themed Irish horror A Dark Song. After drawing us in with two beautifully realised female characters, the movie devolves into a showcase for admittedly impressive rubbery FX and some bloody body trauma. Ironically echoing its ultimate warning, The Surrender works best when it keeps itself grounded and focussed on issues of an earthly nature.
Directed by: Julia Max
Starring: Colby Minifie, Kate Burton, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong
The Surrender is available on Shudder.
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