Review of Censor (2021) by Bhappenstance — 22 Jun 2021

Ultimately, I wish I enjoyed this movie more than I did, as there's a lot of decent work being done, especially stylistically. Unfortunately, the story and central dilemma aren't fleshed out nearly enough for the payoff to work.

We know that the protagonist's sister disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and that she still blames herself, but the conditions of said disappearance are so opaque that it's difficult to connect emotionally with the lead character's struggle.

As such, the climax -- with its debts to Cronenberg and Lynch -- doesn't land. The reality of the world is so thin and ill-defined, that veering into surreality -- much less the inferred parallels between the sister's disappearance, and similar events taking place in certain films the censor is charged with watching -- is simply confusing, rather than mysterious or intriguing or multilayered.

Aesthetically the film strikes a lot of the right notes, especially as homage to the video nasties the protagonist is in charge of censoring. In the end, a lot of good ideas and directorial talent spinning their wheels on a nebulous, unanchored, and unsatisfying story.