XX is a film anthology billed as horror with Sofia Carrillo offering stop motion animation interstitials. XX’s interstitials told a story, but I have to admit that though they were incredibly atmospheric and creepy, I was not really invested in them. Jovanka Vuckovic directed The Box, which is the only adaptation—the other segments are original concepts. It originated as a Jack Ketchum short story, which I am unfamiliar with. Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, makes her directorial debut with The Birthday Party. Roxanne Benjamin directed Don’t Fall, the most traditional horror segment. Karyn Kusama, the most experienced director in the anthology, delivers with Her Only Living Son.
I grade on curves so I would be happy with any horror or anthology series. Women directing the segments is just icing on the cake. Only Kusama has horror experience or any substantive film experience. If I had to pay to see this film, I probably would have been disappointed because it feels more like a television series concept like Masters of Horror, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, etc. In that company, XX can hang tough, but as a film in comparison to other horror films, it is way too short to be satisfying.
XX’s first segment, The Box, is roughly 21 minutes long, and is about a family of four at Christmas time who gradually begin to succumb to a mysterious ailment after encountering a strange man on the train home. It reminded me of The Killing of a Sacred Deer and initially of The Box. The visual style was very crisp and colorful at moments then somber, sedate with a foreboding tone as if their time and space accidentally encountered a void in existence then infected them. The editing was crisp and definitely had a rhythm. The mother seems set apart from the rest of the family in terms of composition and the story—on the edges of the family. She is always alone and believes that she does not get the secret of family that comes easier to others. It is filled with the usual mother guilt-by functioning as a person, are you a good mother? I am going to admit that I left the segment wanting more answers although emotionally it is a complete story.
The Birthday Party, XX’s second segment, uses classic horror directing elements to produce the most humorous story. It has an approximately sixteen-minute runtime. The ordinary pitfalls of life, a child’s birthday party and family drama, get the horror film treatment when shown from the emotional perspective of a harried mom whose home is not a place of comfort. She is constantly judged, falls short of high expectations, expected to handle everyone’s demands and emotional needs and never makes it out of her nightie and robe. Luminous Botticelli model turned actor Melanie Lynskey plays the harried mother. Sheila Vand was giving me severe Leslie Mann vibes as the most distinct and atypical nanny ever. Um, what was with the panda theme? It is not the obvious reason, right? It was another gorgeous segment, especially the vibrant colors of the wardrobe and the set. When the movie slows down, it is a brilliant pacing choice given how rapidly everything must have actually occurred since intervention is impossible.
Don’t Fall is XX’s most traditional horror movie segment and is also roughly sixteen minutes. A brother, Paul, and sister, Gretchen accompanied by a friend, Jay, and Gretchen’s significant other, Jess, go hiking when after incessant good-natured ribbing of Gretchen, they encounter a mysterious petroglyph. When they camp on the grounds in their RV, they discover first-hand the meaning of the mysterious images. The lesson feels as if it is supposed to be to respect others’ boundaries and when you suppress your negative emotions, it makes you vulnerable to being erased or consumed and erupting in anger. The real lesson is to listen to Jay, whom I love. Unfortunately the denouement got confusing when Jay seems conveniently trapped-did another character intentionally screw him over or was it equipment failure? It felt under-developed even for a segment in an anthology, but I still enjoyed it though I prefer more mythology and answers with my scares. I am here for the legend, not the stoners, who were affable. Dump Jess. You already get that energy from your brother.
The most satisfying story was XX’s Her Only Living Son because it imagines what happened after Rosemary’s Baby, which I think is helpful to know if you are like me and do not remember her kid’s first name. It works as a horror segment and is longest at around twenty-six minutes. This story would be sustainable as a feature film if expanded. Is he a normal adolescent developing into a monster like so many sons who were sweet little boys that suddenly commit horrific acts or the literal anti-Christ? It is the only segment that sets up a plausible scenario in the way that others treat him as special—are they cult members or the usual school administrators who dismiss a girl’s pain out of concern for a boy’s theoretical future? Is it racism and privilege or the works of Satan? The rules of civility are prioritized over violent actions. The denouement is emotionally powerful although the actual outcome of the confrontation felt a bit anti-climactic, but I honestly could not think of a visually more evocative moment, and you have to get there somehow. After seeing Destroyer, it is fascinating to see Kusama’s depictions of psychologically tortured, imperfect mothers fiercely loving children who do not necessarily deserve it. Better than me. Think We Need To Talk About Kevin with a supernatural twist and instead of a family, a fierce single mother reclaiming a legacy of inevitable male violence so her son is not trapped in a seemingly inescapable destiny. It was beautiful though the acting felt a bit hollow at times, but following in the footsteps of Mia Farrow is a tall bill.
I agree with the intent behind XX: to create more exposure for women directors, but I would have preferred if it focused on women directors who actively and enthusiastically create horror films. Apparently Clark does not like horror. Was Julia Ducournau, Coralie Fargeat not available? If I was a director who hated watching rom coms, it feels like an insult to all the women who absolutely adore rom coms to pass them over for me. Antonia Bird, who directed Ravenous, was supposed to participate, but she died. While I enjoyed Clark’s segment, imagine how much better the movie would have been if it featured women who were experts in the genre. They exist. I am curious how directors were selected for this project. It is probably something innocent-everyone was having lunch and thought it was a cool idea.
I was slightly irritated that even though each segment in XX only had a tiny amount of time, precious time was wasted by showing the title of the segment twice. When the assignment was given, I bet the directors were not told that the title would be shown before each segment. It was an easy redundancy to fix. Why?
I would not make it a priority, but if you had nothing to do, it is a light time commitment and a decent way to pass the time. Just treat it like a television series. I would definitely tune in regularly.