‘We’re all proud of you, Lisa…’
Too often (and I’m as guilty of this as most), horror movie reviews just read as a list of influences. Any review for a horror film with a social conscience (Get Out) or symbolism (The Babadook), any found footage film (The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity), or any slasher movie (Halloween) will no doubt feature lazy comparisons to movies that came before. So, let me get this out of the way now. This is a film in which a protagonist is trapped in a series of pipes and tubes and has to solve puzzles in order to escape. I am now legally obliged to mention Cube, Saw and the Escape Room franchise. Now that’s out of the way, let’s explore how this film is actually nothing like any of those movies…
Following a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger, Lisa (Gaia Weiss) finds herself imprisoned inside some kind of futuristic hell scape that emits deadly fireballs every ten minutes. So far, so Cube. The difference between that admittedly great movie and this one is that Meander combines high-octane entertainment with a meditation on grief and loss. The fact that it does so only semi-successfully is beside the point.
French writer/director Mathieu Turi does a great job in keeping his claustrophobic setting alive and diverse with various shocking moments adding to the overall sense of unease created by a committed and engaging performance from Weiss in the lead role. She pretty much carries this movie all by herself, although her surroundings are just as much of a character in this thing as she is.
The combination of physical effects, creepy costumes and innovative set design ensure that Meander remains captivating throughout, and while the curious ending will be too ambiguous for some, I left Turi’s second feature film wanting more. If that’s not the sign of a successful movie than I don’t know what is.