A New Standard

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2015)

Out of her drama and acting career, Jen Kent became Director with "Monster", a must- see short.
She spent years crafting her script for The Babadook and she came with a story that, really, sets a new standard for films with "soul".
Mind you, this is not for the faint-hearted. This is a serious, thoughtful and deep film shrouded in the myths of horror. I couldn't even call this a genre film, because it would be an understatement. What Jen Kent did with her script is not just a "monster" film, which it is, nor a horror flick, which it is, neither a psychological thriller, which it also is... so, to call this script a "genre" thing is out of question. She created a film with a deep rooting in human's ordinary life. Such as in being a mum (in this case, Amelia, played by Essie Davis... wow!)
Mothers can be loving, but they're all subjected to being mothers. And this film goes deep into that reality. More so, it goes where few films would willingly dare to go, and that's when a normal and caring mum simply snaps. Then, there's a very peppery ingredient added to the mix: this particular mum is struggling with the loss of her husband almost seven years ago, and simply can't get to terms with it. She grieves and is in pain and can't put her past away.
Her son is a sun, but a difficult and bright one. And he's not "normal". I mean, not by the standards of "normal" society usually adopts. This child believes and "knows" a particular monster lurks and actually lives in his cupboard. And he "thinks"... and knows.
Said son, Sam (played unbelievably well by six year-old Noah Wiseman) wants to protect his mum from the monster. She knows it from a weird book (a beautiful character in the film) that recurrently tells her he's well and alive and he wants the boy.
This film is a roller-coaster of emotions pretty well beyond any "horror" film I can remember after "The Shining".
Little budget, but great creative team. Superb design and sets. Masterful direction and cinematography that defines a new standard, too, for a film like this.
Some people would like to measure this film with some recent very good (the recent very good) films like The Conjuring. Well, no. This one is a masterpiece of story-telling and a film that resonates constantly with every day struggles in life. This is not science fiction, nor horror. I suggest to put it in a category of its own.
I wouldn't hesitate to pit this film against some works from Bergman or Lynch. Absolutely outstanding.