Review of Krisha (2016) by Spangle — 14 Nov 2016

It is not a surprise to me at all that Trey Edward Shults will follow up his directorial debut, Krisha, with a horror mystery film. Though a drama, I always felt that Krisha looked like a horror film in the trailer and the film itself certainly dances along those lines. For those with anxiety, Krisha is horror personified. With a sonically arresting score, Krisha is a haunting experience of a woman coming back into a family after 10 years away, only for everything to fall apart. Watching this right before the holidays (since the film occurs during a family Thanksgiving) may be a mistake, given the horror it shows.

Krisha (Krisha Fairchild) is a "recovering" alcoholic, who attempts to return to her family during Thanksgiving. Most importantly, she wants to reunite with her son Trey (Trey Edward Shults) and mend the bonds with the rest of her family. Unfortunately for her, things begin going awry when her drinking rears its ugly head once more and her attempt to re-enter the family fails horribly. Using an anxious score, the film places us in the head of our protagonist, which only ups the anxiety induced by the film. This is not easy watching and Shults manages to craft a drama film that really resonates with anybody from a large family environment, especially in cases when certain family members may be disconnected - for whatever reason - from everybody else.

This drama really resonates with the viewer, but is amplified by the truly terrific acting in the film. For a cast of largely non-actors and family members of Shults, Krisha is filled with terrific performances, particularly by Krisha Fairchild. Neurotic and often hard to watch in her performance and self-destruction, Fairchild manages to somehow conjure sympathy for her lost character, while also inducing rage for her. This balance is important because it is true. As a family member, it is clear her family loves her, but her actions make them often abhor her. Fairchild plays to this dichotomy by being able to turn on a dime in her performance between sympathy and self-destruction.

Yet, the score is the thing that I keep coming back to in my mind. This score is more fitting for a horror film than a drama, which is what makes it so deeply effective. In many ways, reality can be more terrifying than the mystery of the unknown. Here, Shults certainly proves this true with his score that manages to capture the nervous intensity of Krisha and the family that is worried about her re-entry. This certainly causes fear for everyone involved and the score reflects this energy with inconsistent tones and abrasive notes that course through the veins of the viewer and instills them with the same anxiety as the characters.

Often hard to watch, Krisha is a monster of a drama film with killer performances and an even better score that really drive home the family drama on-screen. Not much happens, admittedly, which limits its appeal outside more indie circles, which is unfortunate given the talent on display in this film. Shults has certainly established himself as a man to keep an eye on, especially given the talent circling his next feature, It Comes at Night.