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| Brandy Shines in The Front Room |
The Front Room is a 2024 American psychological horror comedy film directed by the Eggers Brothers, and the cast includes Brandy, Kathryn Hunter, Andrew Burnap, and Neal Huff.
Max and Sam Eggers The Front Room doesn’t follow your typical horror tropes, as this psychological drama taps into some more profound fears, such as the dread of aging and becoming a burden.
Rather than delivering outright horror with jump scares, The Front Room offers a dark take on generational conflicts.
It's another A24 movie that doesn't quite fit easily into one category.
Belinda Irwin (Brandy Norwood), a pregnant anthropology professor, faces stress from all directions. Her students and colleagues don't appreciate her, and financial strain weighs heavily as she prepares for her new baby.
Belinda’s worries also stem from a past tragedy when her first child was stillborn, and her husband, Norman (Andrew Burnap), hopes things will improve after the birth of the child.
Unexpectedly, Norman’s estranged father passes away, leaving behind a small fortune, but there’s a catch: Norman and Belinda must care for his father’s disabled widow, Solange (Kathryn Hunter), if they want the inheritance.
Though Norman is reluctant due to Solange’s past cruel behavior, Belinda agrees, thinking it’s a temporary arrangement.
But once the baby is born, Solange's true sinister nature surfaces, and a psychological battle begins between her and Belinda.
Mirrors and religious imagery are everywhere in The Front Room.
Crosses, reflections, and unsettling religious elements are used repeatedly, but at the same time are never really developed.
The use of mirrors though ties into the film’s broader message: life is a cycle, beginning and ending with the same vulnerability, and as Solange’s behavior worsens over time, it's a reminder of how we all return to a state of helplessness in the end.
Brandy's performance is worth noting as a positive, and I thought she was probably the best thing about the film, especially in the dreamlike sequences that reflect her deepest fears and grief.
These nightmare scenes, paired with Ava Berkofsky's cinematography, create a visually strong film, with warm, saturated colors that depict Belinda’s moments of hope, while colder tones mirror her growing suspicion and mental fatigue as Solange's presence darkens their home.
Brandy’s portrayal brings strength and vulnerability to her character as she battles against her controlling mother-in-law.
The film was marketed as a religious horror film, but it feels more like a dark comedy, and while it lacks genuine scares, it does make up for it with some creative concepts.
But the film’s only strength for me lies in its weirdness, ultimately crafting a bizarre story of the worst mother in law imaginable, but the films reliance on crude humor and the misleading marketing might disappoint those expecting a more traditional horror movie.
You can easily see the inspiration the film takes from classics like Rosemary’s Baby. as it tries to create a tense, character driven story, but it never really delivers on what it is attempting.
The Eggers brothers do show some promise though I think, even if it doesn't exactly live up to its inspirations, as it certainly could have been a lot better.
By the end of The Front Room, you are left with a sense that something deeper was left unexplored, and that feeling of is that it?
If you want some good religious horror, watch Heretic or The First Omen instead.
[The Front Room on IMDB] [Where to watch The Front Room]
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