Prevenge

Credit: marcbesstant.com

Directed by: Alice Lowe

Release Date: 2016

Alice Rowe is no stranger to comedy in the UK. She was the co-star in the dark comedy Sightseers and has numerous credits in comedies across the pond. As her first foray as a writer-director on this project, I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.

Ruth is eight months pregnant when her baby starts talking to her and telling her to kill people. Through different social situations, we meet her victims and also reveal how society treats pregnant women in ways that are devasting to the audience and to Ruth. Except her response is murdering people.

The film score and soundtrack gave me eighties vibes with the heavy synthesizer used on the tracks. The cinematography and lighting also enhanced the story coupled with the emotions Ruth experienced throughout the film. When she was angry sad, or happy - there was a red lighting I couldn't ignore. 

Alice Rowe's acting in this added to the over the top factor that Ruth was listening to her baby to kill people! How absurd is that? Or is it? A great line from the film that Ruth uttered to herself was: No one suspects a pregnant woman. The average serial killer is a white male, not a woman and certainly not a pregnant one. The way that Rowe makes the viewer think about pregnant women was interesting because hormones affect women in different ways. What if your hormones were so out of wack the only way to stabilize yourself was to kill? What if that was a thing? That's what this film is. Prevenge is a huge "What if?" situation that was sad, disturbing, and had some amazing black comedic moments. 

While the film takes you down moments that are disturbing, at the heart of it, Ruth is sad about the baby's father's death. Like Babadook, grief manifests itself in a different way here. Which is why this is so over the top but also about a heartbroken mom mourning her partner. This film is worth a watch.