The Front Room (2024)

The Front Room

• I remember seeing the trailer for this way before it came out, and the actual film was basically everything I expected. The big exclamation point before going into it was that it was written and directed by Max and Sam Eggers, who are Robert Eggers’ younger brothers. You can definitely tell that this has Eggers written all over it, and I’m here for it. Based on this one, I’m very excited to see what they cook up in the future. That goes for all the Eggers. The story for this one is not super complex, except for literally three scenes. It just follows a new mother trying to take care of her baby and evil mother-in-law. That’s it. For the full 90 minutes (minus credits), it’s just Solange being a despicable, controlling, crazy woman who wants to wreak havoc and be in charge of everyone. There aren’t really any crazy twists or turns at all, however: it had me on the edge of my seat, mostly because of Kathryn Hunter’s committed performance. She gave it everything she had, and made a very memorable and sickening character. It was interesting trying to see what direction the story would go, and how it would end, and all I can say is that it has an extremely satisfying ending. As said, Hunter gives a strong performance, as does Brandy. The other cast members are whatever, but those two stand strong. Overall, this film was decently made, and I definitely think the critics and audience reviews are treating it way too harshly. It’s one of the more underrated films I’ve seen in 2024. I’d probably recommend it if you enjoy slow burn psychological horror.