THE MANSION
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 9:49AM Stars: Carter Roy, Sebastian Beacon, Chris Kies, Amy Rutberg, Eva Grace Kellner, Travis Grant, Mark Ashworth and Joe Manus.
Writers: Lilli Kanso and Andrew Robertson.
Director: Andrew Robertson.
Rating: 4.5/5
Few movies have captured the tension of a post-catastrophic societal change with such teeth-grinding effectiveness as Andrew Robertson’s The Mansion. This slow-burn, ultra-naturalistic, distinctly human thriller may irk those used to the Mad Max-style of dystopic mayhem, but patience will be rewarded many times over; Robertson and co-writer Lilly Kanso have crafted a truly gripping work.
Vividly portraying a desolate American heartland littered with decaying indicators of a vanished society (homes, stores and, occasionally in graphic detail, bodies), Robertson focuses on a group of survivors who would once have been well-to-do middle-classers. Holed up in a suburban home, Jack (Carter Roy) and Nell (Amy Rutberg) play parents to pre-teen girl Birdie (Eva Grace Kellner) as best they can, celebrating a birthday and maintaining bedtime rituals in an effort to cling to the normalcy of a life once lived. Sharing the home is gentlemanly neighbour Kyle (Chris Kies) and hobbling, surly loner Russell (Sebastian Beacon), whose violent backstory is portrayed in well-placed flashback sequences.
Surviving on the meat of captured animals and whatever can be scavenged from their surrounds, the group’s plight grows increasingly desperate. In addition to Birdie’s ongoing health issues, the home is being watched by marauders, biding their time before invading. When the inevitable occurs, Robertson and DOP Sung Rae Cho create a terrifying sequence of glimpsed figures and desperate carnage; it is a technically superb, entirely compelling piece of action filmmaking.
Having fled their home, the ‘family’ undertake a perilous journey through the violent wasteland to the titular estate, home of Russell’s brother and perhaps the last vestige of hope and humanity for the group. Several scenes in the film’s second half recall staples of the post-apocalypse genre, most notably John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2009), but also Tim Fehlbaum’s recent German film Hell (2010) and Nicholas Meyer’s nuclear-war drama, The Day After (1983).
The harsh geography of an America laid waste by pestilence (neither the disease nor how some humans have managed to survive is precisely addressed) is realised with precision by the production team, who have utilised with skilful set decoration and art design work the abandoned homes that litter the outer areas of the unit’s homebase in Atlanta, Georgia. Belying its low-budget roots and despite probably finding its biggest audience via small-screen exposure, The Mansion looks entirely at home on the big-screen and fully deserves a long-life on the genre festival circuit.
Despite its sci-fi/thriller pedigree, however, The Mansion finds its surest footing as an affecting drama. Committed acting from the entire ensemble fully fleshes out the complexities and insight in Robertson and Kanso’s words; audiences fully invested in these characters will find the final scenes inexorably tense and moving. Robertson, a first-time feature director, has sent out one of the strongest calling-card films in recent memory.
Reader Comments (6)
I saw the movie at the Atlanta Film Festival, and it was great, had me thinking for days.
I can't WAIT to see this movie as soon as I get my kid to bed, seriously, it looks amazing.
You guys making outside review and comments for your own film? This "film" is pathetic, walking dead rip off all the way. A big 0 compared to its huge budget
Terrible casting.
I have to disagree with the author completely, I've seen the kickstarter campaign where the creators raised money for actors. A bunch of hobos would made more authentic acting than this "actors". This fellas not worth their money at all, the casting dept was obviously stoned in the entirely casting process. And please dont write that the director has a "strongest calling-card" he will end up directing B tv shows maximum. 100K for a boring tasteless indie movie is an offense for other filmmakers.
Jesus christ who on earth financed this? Its a same that the actors even dared to accept payment for their performance. There is so many talented actors and you guys chosen the crappiest ones.