Sunday, July 5, 2020

IFC Midnight: Relic Trailer - Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote & Robyn Nevin



IFC Midnight invites you to preview RELIC, writer/director Natalie Erika James’ unforgettable and auspicious feature debut. When elderly mother Edna (Robyn Nevin) inexplicably vanishes, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) rush to their family's decaying country home, finding clues of her increasing dementia scattered around the house in her absence. After Edna returns just as mysteriously as she disappeared, Kay's concern that her mother seems unwilling or unable to say where she's been clashes with Sam's unabashed enthusiasm to have her grandma back. As Edna's behavior turns increasingly volatile, both begin to sense that an insidious presence in the house might be taking control of her. All three generations of women are brought together through trauma and a powerful sense of strength and loyalty to face the ultimate fear together. RELIC had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 to critical acclaim, praising the film as a fresh and terrifying twist on the notorious haunted-house tale.



RELIC
Release Date: July 10, 2020 
In Theaters and also available On Demand/Digital Rental
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Director: Natalie Erika James
Writers: Natalie Erika James and Christian White
Starring: Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, Robyn Nevin
Producers: Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker
Cinematographer: Charlie Sarroff
Executive Producers: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Todd Makurath, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Hu Junyi

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Several years ago I took a trip back to Japan to see my grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. It was a trip I’d kept delaying for one reason or another, and when I finally got around to seeing her, it turned out I’d left it too late – she didn’t recognize who I was. The guilt was hard to swallow. At a certain level, it felt worse than death - to see your loved one progressively lose parts of themselves, and slowly become a stranger.

The rural town where my grandmother lives is where I’d spent many of my summer holidays, attending the local primary school with my cousins. During that trip I observed how much the town had declined – all the younger generations choosing to relocate to the bigger cities, leaving an aging community behind. There were horror stories about elderly people being found dead in their homes well after the fact – neglected and forgotten, their children in distant towns, their bodies starting to deteriorate. I could think of nothing more heartbreaking.

It’s a combination of these things that became the starting point for Relic. Using a multigenerational story to create a character driven, emotionally resonant horror, I sought to explore the heartbreak and horrors of aged dementia, the importance of human connection and the shifting roles and dynamics within a family. Relic begins more firmly rooted in drama, and slowly devolves into a horror and genre space, mirroring Edna’s mental and physical deterioration.

Edna’s descent into the Other demonstrates that there are more horrific things than simply death. What’s worse is grieving for the loss of someone while they are still alive; it is the degradation of once brilliant minds, kind souls, and a treasured lifetime of memories; it is the feeling of becoming a stranger to the person who brought you into the world – these are the true terrors.


Photo Content from IFC Midnight

“Terrifying, real and ultimately beautiful…it takes you from abject terror to utter tears.”  Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

“A horror movie about dementia that’s driven as much by love as dread.” Alison Willmore, Vulture

ABOUT IFC MIDNIGHT
Established in 2010 and based in New York City, IFC Midnight is a leading U.S. distributor of genre entertainment including horror, science fiction, thrillers, erotic art house, action and more. Its unique distribution model makes independent genre films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes.

Some of the company’s successes have included Tom Six’s controversial horror trilogy THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE, Johnnie To’s Hong Kong revenge thriller VENGEANCE, Brandon Cronenberg’s ANTIVIRAL, and the award-winning hit THE BABADOOK. IFC Midnight is a sister label to IFC Films, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
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