The Unfamiliar

Could have been good, if it weren't so mediocre.

I've always liked horror movies, but the truth is horror doesn't work in this movie. It's not a scary movie or even original or striking. It starts well, develops pleasantly, there is a sense of paranoia that makes you really doubt whether that woman is sane, or wonder what happened to her in the war. However, halfway through, the film ends up being completely ruined thanks to an absurd anecdote about the exchange of souls, as if human bodies were clothes to wear.

I don't really feel like talking too much about the plot. Suffice it, perhaps, to say that it all begins with the return of a military doctor who has been in the East, and who returns home, where her husband is a university researcher who specializes in Polynesian traditions and folklore. However, she begins to feel bad, as if there is an oppressive force there. None of this is original, we've seen a lot of films that start from these same premises and that developed much more effectively.

Taking into account the weaknesses of the plot and the poor direction of Henk Pretorius, I think it is wrong to ask too much of the actors. They did what they could with what they were given to work with, and there is a very commendable effort on the part of the cast to raise the bar for the film and make something worthwhile. Unfortunately, you can't make omelettes without eggs, and all the effort came up against horrible dialogue and situations. Jemima West deserves praise for her work, as does young Harlym McMillan-Hunt. Christopher Dane and Rebecca Hansen didn't do a bad job either.

Technically, it is a relatively mediocre film, without great reasons of merit. There are some good visual and special effects, and the first part of the film works very well in terms of building and managing the atmosphere and suspense. But that's just it.