“Unwelcome” (2022) opens with a young couple jubilant over receiving great news, which emboldens Jamie (Douglas Booth) to make some unwise decisions, which puts him and Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) in danger. Eager to find a refuge from the dangers of their urban origins on the rough streets of a London estate, they leap at a chance to move to Ireland, which has its own dangers, from the ordinary to the supernatural. This modern take on an Irish folklore legend asks if the far darrig, the little people or red caps are real or delusions of a traumatized mind?
Director and cowriter Jon Wright and cowriter Mark Stay create a clever little movie that keeps viewers on their toes as they establish the couple’s dynamic: Jamie gets them in trouble and Maya gets them out. Wright and Stay explore a multitude of themes though it is never obvious until the end which one is most germane until the denouement. It is easy to mistake Jamie’s fragile masculinity as the leading theme. He keeps trying to find a way to become a man: from fatherhood to fighting. It is hard to see what Maya sees in Jamie other than he is not a lout like the other guys from their neighborhood. When he says, “You and me against the world,” to Maya, the unanswered question becomes did he change or was he always a mess?
Maya does not seem to mind. American audiences may recognize John-Kamen as Ghost, aka Ava, from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018). Even though she plays the damsel in distress, I guessed that her story arc would not keep her that way. Maya’s journey as a resourceful survivor was riveting, and the filmmakers pulled no punches in terms of the physical threats that Maya would have to face. No threatening figure seems to consider her off limits even though she is pregnant. She does not even get a reprieve when her water breaks.
Even though the Whelan family, the people working on the couple’s house and the town’s outcasts, are menacing, they also are sympathetic. “Unwelcome” has a political streak. They see the lower-class Londoners Jamie, who had family in the area, and Maya as prosperous British outsiders invading their Irish town. They also have the locals love even though the two just arrived. While brutish and unlikeable, their fierce, warped and unwavering unity as a family makes them riveting. While the red caps’ origin is not intended to allude to a British invasion (red coats), watching this film makes it impossible to remain oblivious to the association. The Whelans are a unique bunch with each family member playing a distinct role. Colm Meaney as Daddy Whelan has a charm despite his barbaric ways and is downright enlightened in the way that he includes his daughter, Aisling (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) in the family’s construction business. Eoin (Kristian Nairn, Hodor from “Game of Thrones”) seems like the gentle giant, and Killian (Chris Walley) is the weasel of the bunch who never pretends to be interested in working. While many viewers will root against them, it will not exactly be a guilt free experience because of the Whelans’ fierce love for each other.
So what are these folk creatures? I came to “Unwelcome” knowing anything about them, but characters dismiss describing them as leprechauns. They are made with practical effects and feel like something out of Jim Henson’s workshop. They are described as if they are supernatural and part of a pagan religion, but they are more like an unknown hidden species. They are little, but deadly in numbers and quite fierce. When people face them, it is the bit of comedic relief that is needed after such a grim gauntlet of threats. With their adorable voices and good intentions (with an amoral code), it is easy to root for them. They are not the monsters!
Visually “Unwelcome” shows that filmmakers do not need a lot of money but can make something look good if determined. The final scene feels unreal as the sky is red and the environment is green with the camera whipping around the characters in celebration. It should feel dated and amateurish, but it does not. It adds to the dreamlike, Grimm fairytale atmosphere of the story. Wright pays homage to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980) with overhead shots introducing the environment and the characters from a distance before taking a more intimate look into their lives behind closed doors. The red caps, though invisible for most of the film, get their point of view shown with lower angle shots from the bushes.
When Maya walks on the house’s grounds, wardrobe puts her in these gorgeous sun dresses which make Maya feel like a character from another time and even more helpless and innocent than when she was originally introduced.
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If you threw my brother’s head at me, I could love my brother, and he could be perfect, but I’m not avenging him. I’m calling the police after I run screaming from your home. The Whelans were savages, but they were not the only ones. It was as if the word pregnant was waving a red flag in front of a bull. Everyone wanted to hurt Maya; thus, when Maya goes full unhinged and becomes Mother Redcap, of course Maya and Jamie are happy. They are finally safe. I also love that Jamie finally accepts that he is not about that life and is delighted with ceding all pretense that he is the protector of the family. He is like, “Baby, you did it.” Also say what you will about the Redcaps, but they have lines that they do not cross, and Molly the dog fucks with them over her human, the town drunk, who maybe racist since he did not think Maya was pretty (or in need of some glasses). They are good people despite the cannibalism. They were not letting anyone mess with Maya and her family. They saw it for her even when she was not the best at feeding them I disagree with Maya making a deal with the devil for Jamie. That man is useless.
“Unwelcome” had the vibe of anthology horror shows like “The Outer Limits,” “Tales from the Darkside” or “The Twilight Zone” with the twist that Maya was going to embrace the Red Caps. I loved Maya’s journey from reluctant self-defender to no holds barred aggressor. Maya said that she would not be afraid, and she meant it. Side note: she killed Jamie’s cousin. That is going to be an awkward conversation, but what is Jamie going to do. Nothing. Why did his cousin look so much like the crypt keeper? Human beings age badly when Red Caps raise them. Aunt Maeve’s child looked older than her mama when she died.
If I was in “Unwelcome,” it would have been a short film. Once Niamh (Niamh Cusack) asked if she could put out the blood offering every day, I would have said, “Yes, please and thank you.” Real estate is expensive and so are groceries. Niamh even had to protect Jamie from the Whelans. Jamie is lucky that Maya took pity on him.
