AJ_Nel Review of Housewife

Housewife (II) (2017)

Very different from Baskin but an interesting artistic endeavour

[7/10 · 17 September 2022]

"Housewife" (2017, Turkey) is largely a style over substance psychological / cosmic horror film., with some very decent gore elements. Stylistically it presents homages to amongst others Lovecraft and the films of Argento and Faci. The influence of the latter two can be seen in inter alia the use of colour, metaphor, and camera angles. From a substantive point, one gets the impression that the intention was to create several causal nexuses and then to intentionally leave the ending open-ended, to invite viewer interpretation. The problem is twofold, (1) the ratio d'etre can only be one of two things or a combination of both, and (2) the input data is insufficient to reach a definitive conclusion either way. Simply put, the concept is not complex enough to leave it open-ended. That said, the film remains interesting enough to compel the viewer to interpret the metaphors and other audio and visual cues. The first act is especially well developed around cues, and some are well utilised throughout the film. An example would be the conclusion by the mother of the main character that her older sister's first menstrual period means she is bound to be impregnated to fulfil the needs of the cult and would thus suffer something she did not wish upon her child. Other aspects, e.g., the knife, the portrait, the longing for forgiveness from the sister all contribute to the hypnotism / induced dream state creating an opportunity (either actually or subconsciously) for a life changing moment for the main character, i.e. To "elevate" herself from "housewife". On the other hand, the cult is given an objectively tongue-in-cheek treatment (e.g., sexual gratification of a cult leader being paramount to the existence of the same, members of the cult demonstrating a childlike exuberance, the wearing of druid-like clocks by the upper echelon; the need for sacrifice for the greater cause). One can just as easily believe that the main character "tripped her tits off on schrooms" and had dreams / visions dominated by her childhood experience and current psychological state, as one can believe that either the main character or her sister had a birthing role to play in the cult and their mother wanted to save them from that. So, fun can be had with analysing the film despite a somewhat haphazard storyline. Acting was competent enough, though sub-par dialogue, which now and again popped up, could likely have been prevented by not opting for an English soundtrack, similarly ambiance and timing. Though "Housewife" mimics certain dream state elements found in "Baskin" (2015), the films differ greatly in almost every other aspect, demonstrating Evrenol's capabilities as a co-writer director. 7/10.