Editor’s Note: Emelie opens in limited theatrical release on March 4, 2016.
Emelie is a psychological thriller directed by Michael Thelin. This film marks the director’s debut feature, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Giving a pleasant new spin to home invasions, writers Richard Raymond and Harry Herbeck have pushed the in envelope in creating an extremely convincing storyline ensuring you remain in the edge of your seat throughout the film.
What a film for a debut. Luca Del Puppo’s subtle yet intense visuals combined with Sarah Bolger’s convincing acting will keep you hooked.
On their parents wedding anniversary night, Jacob, Sally and Christopher are left home alone with a baby sitter Anna. After a witnessing a series of unsettling events in their house concerning Anna, suspicious Jacob (Joshua Rush), the oldest and a reclusive preteen, checks Anna’s bag to realise that her name is Emelie (Sarah Bolger) according to an ID proof. Who is this impostor and what does she want? Will Jacob manage to protect his siblings? Watch to know.
First of all, utterly impressed by this film. What a film for a debut. Luca Del Puppo’s subtle yet intense visuals combined with Sarah Bolger’s convincing acting will keep you hooked. The cinematography and editing of the film is tantalising itself. Just when you lower your guard during a steady, placid shot, something drastic will occur to grab your attention. This film will keep you alert throughout. A blend of repulsive yet intriguing elements, it draws upon the natural curiosity of the viewers – what the hell is going on!? What is going to happen after this? The sound effects and background score compliment this beautifully. The clean art direction, urban colors and perfect lighting further enhance the film. It’s interesting to watch the brooding visuals that create an interesting juxtaposition of unsettling scenes in the background of an elegant suburban home.
The intercepting storylines make this a more dynamic, straight to the point film that you will enjoy piecing together. . .
The casting in the film is pretty much accurate but the casting director hit it bang on with Sarah Bolger. Emelie’s mental state is broken yet somehow logical and functional, which gives Bolger a lot of scope to experiment with. There are times when there is a glimpse of the manic Emelie inside, in her smirks and in her dialogues, and Bolger keeps it well disguised, giving the audience faint glimpses of it in the beginning, enough to keep them guessing. The Spiderwick Chronicles actress keeps the tension running in the film throughout while sounding absolutely natural and sane. The children did an amazing job too. Joshua Rush is brilliant, with his ‘braver than I look’ attitude in that boyish stature.
We have come across films with similar themes – home alone kids, impostor or rogue baby sitter. What’s refreshing about this is the peaceful cinematography accompanied by fairly disturbing occurrences, with violent camera movements being shown only in some parts. Employing young characters with a deranged villain does give a lot of leeway for taking liberties with the story, anything illogical in the film could be blamed on the mental faculties of the characters or simply their personalities. But the fact that the writers chose not to, and tried kept the setting true to what could really happen, in the realm of logic - makes it more impactful. A shout-out to their creativity there. Instead of focusing more on the victims inside the house, this film includes the parents who are outside as well. The intercepting storylines make this a more dynamic, straight-to-the-point film that you will enjoy piecing together in your head while information gets revealed to you. Unsettling ambiance along with a certain level of unpredictability and a believable cast that will keep you engaged – this feature has everything you want if you are looking for some suspense and as well as some shock.
Emelie is the babysitter you may not want on your home turf, but would love on the big screen.
