Review of XX (2017) by Thequietgamer — 02 Oct 2017

The thing separating this from other horror anthology films is the fact that each segment was helmed by female directors. I applaud the concept as it gives women another chance to step forward in a scene populated mostly by males. However, the end results are woefully disappointing. The only constraints given to the women in creating their stories were of the budget and time variety. It's the latter I feel that hindered this project so much. Of the four short stories, it is the first two that suffer. "The Box" is simply nonsensical and ultimately very disappointing. It's only real noteworthy feature is that the mother and father seemed to have switched roles. The father is the more caring and worried of the two parents, while the mother seems more aloof to the strange things her children are doing. It's an interesting and much appreciated change in gender roles that breaks away from typical stereotypes. Outside of that one smart move the story as a whole is lacking.

"The Birthday Party" is just dumb. A ridiculous and misguided attempt at adding some zany humor to the mix. It's stylistic choices are irritating and, aside from the ending gag, not funny. Easily the weakest part of the anthology and feels out of place amongst the other three films present here.

"Don't Fall" is my personal favorite as it is easily the most entertaining of the bunch. It's a pretty standard set up of watching dumb stoners go where they shouldn't and pay the price. Pretty much your straight forward gore-fest. Nothing revolutionary or new about it. Having a female director ends up making no difference here. Same stuff as the guys would have come up with. Not like that's a big deal though. The biggest flaw is that it's over in a jiffy.

"Her Only Living Son" is easily the strongest part of this anthology. Like "The Box" and "The Birthday Party," it's primarily about motherhood. However, unlike those two that is actually significant here. It ends up being a touching tale about the bond between a mother and her child. One that tugs at the heartstrings a bit. You really feel the presence of a woman behind the camera here. It also helps that it's Karyn Kusama, a lady who has proved her skills as a director of the horror genre with the excellent film "The Invitation." A great way to close the anthology.

So about half of the anthology sucks. Where XX really goes wrong though is in it's inability to make viewers feel a woman's touch for all but the last of the shorts. It hardly feels any different than the work of men doing the same thing. Maybe that was the point. Still, it's disappointing to not see any new perspectives brought on by this gender swap. Especially when the material here isn't all that great to begin with.

5.