Review of Krisha (2016) by Matt C — 31 Mar 2016

2016 seems to be the year of strong directorial debuts, with films like Deadpool, The Witch, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and now Krisha. I went into this only having seen the trailer twice or so, and this is a movie that benefits from not knowing that much about it.

But know this: Krisha is really sad, and that says volumes about the success of the film. This is a family drama with the heft of a psychological thriller, and while it may not be flawless, it's bolstered by strong performances, editing, and direction.

The film was financed through Kickstarter, filmed in nine days, and a majority of the cast is the writer/director/editor's family. It follows the alcoholic and drug-addicted titular character's revisiting of her family for Thanksgiving, and how her relationships with her family members strain to stay intact.

It's a pretty ordinary story, but the way that Trey Edward Shults crafts this story with his direction and editing are just some of the ways that the film escapes the boundaries of its genre. There are several takes that are many minutes long, and the camerawork combined with the editing creates a sense of urgency with almost all of the peripheral action.

The movie plays with its aspect ratios to simulate the ever-changing emotional claustrophobia and freedom in a subtle way. The score is arhythmic and uncomfortable, once or twice reminding me of The Shining.

The performances are very strong, namely Krisha Fairchild as the eponymous protagonist. She, along with the rest of the film, don't jump on chances to play up the melodrama for the film, making it feel uncomfortably realistic.

As for the movie's few issues, I'd have to say that the movie does drag for a little bit towards the middle of its 83-minute runtime. The material surrounding it is great, namely the final twenty minutes or so, but there are some scenes that don't feel entirely necessary.

The movie also has some bits of humor that don't work, and I was confused as to whether they were meant to be stilted or should have acted as comic relief. They mostly come from one character, but he doesn't contribute much other than a few odd zingers.

Go into Krisha not knowing much because its plot synopsis doesn't do its execution justice. Just know that it's emotionally affective and refreshingly raw thanks to the technical choices. It isn't perfect, but it still wrings a lot of earned domestic drama out of a rather familiar premise, further helped by its performances and direction.

Trey Edward Shults is a filmmaker to look out for, as with a micro-budget like this, it's intriguing to see what he'll be able to do in the future. 8.3/10, great, one thumb up, above average, etc.