I recently went back to the universe of The Conjuring to begin my watch through for the upcoming The Devil Made Me Do It. Upon my rewatch, I came to notice a few things about myself. I wrestled with the question: do I believe in ghosts? Growing up, paranormal hunters and ghost shows were always on in my house. My dad kind of loves shows like this. I remember seeing The Haunting in Connecticut in theaters, which is another film inspired by the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren ironically enough. On the car ride back home, my dad and I had a fairly deep conversation about the afterlife. Are ghosts a legitimate thing or a work of fiction?
Back then, I fully believed in them. Now as an adult, I’m not so sure. I believe in some pretty radical things, some of which include spirits, but when I say spirits I don’t necessarily mean ghosts. It’s a weird thing to explain because it’s such a grey area. I believe that spirits are beings that are not of this world but haunt this world, whereas I believe ghosts are, like so many stories tell us, people that have passed from this world but haven’t quite made it to the next phase of the afterlife. The afterlife is an entirely different subject for another day. I’m not here to discuss theology, why I believe what I believe, or shame you for thinking differently - the latter being something I personally hate. I love having conversations about why people believe what they believe.
The thing about it is none of us know what the afterlife holds. What I believe could be completely different from what you believe. The thing about death is we need to find peace in something. Grieving can bring us to some pretty strange and radical places. William Brent Bell explores the concept of life after death in Separation: a film about a widowed father (Rupert Friend) and his daughter (Violet McGraw) and their process of coping with the loss of Friend’s wife and McGraw’s mother. The only catch in this grieving process is that McGraw communicates with her mother as a ghost. Mamie Gummer plays Maggie, the mother of the film. I found myself with a true love/hate relationship with her character for the entirety of the film.
The film could have opted to have Gummer’s character already established as dead at the start of the movie. Instead, we go through the troubled marriage of Friend and Gummer. It’s nice to see this unfold through the majority of the film’s first act as it gives a bit more context, but honestly it wasn’t needed. This extra history feels very akin to the way the filmmakers behind 2011’s Green Lantern attempted to tell the backstory of Hal Jordan. It adds a mild layer of emotion but nothing that couldn’t have been used as exposition. For the rest of the film, it’s actually rather interesting how this film handles exposition. The majority of the time it comes from Simon Quarterman’s character, Alan. Alan is a comic book writer who Friend is working with on a project detailing a malevolent spirit. While Quarterman doesn’t add a whole lot to the actual narrative, he is a great addition to the cast.
The rest of the cast is small and made up of Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, and the other notable stars McGraw and Friend. Typically, when you have a cast this intimate, you can do so much more with them. The narrative feels tighter and more focused. That’s not the case with Separation. We are introduced at the level of a family drama. This isn’t such a shock. There are a lot of horror movies that build their foundation on drama before moving into the macabre. The Conjuring is a terrific example of this. However, Separation doesn’t know how to let this go. It is a continuous thread woven throughout the entire movie. There are several scenes when it decides to focus on supernatural horror, but there are mostly other times that spend energy focusing on this family drama.
There are a few times when the two worlds do meet in the middle. When supernatural meets the dramatic it makes for some pretty satisfying moments. The film’s third act is entangled in it and it is a beautiful thing to behold. However, when the two elements are separated, you find yourself checking your watch during this family drama, waiting for more of the horror elements. They are teased ever so slightly throughout the entire second act. Perhaps the most puzzling thing to note about Separation is its use of CGI. It’s used for the most jarring reasons. With haunting horror, you can expect some level of CG with ghosts and spirits. The CG for those parts of the film looks fine. Not spectacular, but passable enough. But it’s almost as if the entire backdrop of New York City was via greenscreen. It seems like the people having conversations are actually copied from television shows like Bones or CSI, where you get obvious CGI. Much like its television counterparts, Separation does not hide it.
Overall, Separation is horror lost in the politics of child custody and grief. The film can’t decide whether or not it wants to be a family drama or supernatural horror. The film is incredibly uneven in tone and delivery. The first act is strictly drama while the third act is all horror, and the second a mixture of both. It’s a hot mess in more ways than narrative. There are several characters used for exposition more than anything else, while other characters feel CG’ed for no real reason. When the horror is on, Separation can deliver, but those moments are fleeting. Separation proves itself to be nothing but a poor man’s The Conjuring.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Despite having a tone that is all over the place, Separation is actually home to a good deal of mental health themes. The film has the obvious theme of grief woven into it. Perhaps the themes handled better than any other were the themes of rejection and divorce. With Gummer and Friend having a marriage on the brink of divorce with a child, the idea of a child not feeling enough can be all too real. I can’t speak from a point of view as a child of divorce but I can only imagine how it must feel. I know rejection and I know what destructive desires I had when I have been rejected. From friends that I’ve talked to in the past about divorce, they have said they felt similarly. I want to encourage you that it’s not your fault. You’re not rejected, and I want to tell you that the current situation is bigger than you. I’m sorry to hear that you’re at the center of it but it does get better.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Separation is property of Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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