Lodge Review: Riley Keough stars in this heavy-duty movie

Veronika Franz movie and Severin Fiala's awesome movie The Lodge trying a magic trick. It is easy to understand in terms of Christopher Nolan Dignity describes stage magic in three acts: In the first act, “pledge,” the audience is introduced to something familiar. In the second, "chance," this common thing becomes a phenomenon. Third, “honor,” a great achievement or prosperity. The Lodge only nails the first act of the first.

The "security" part of the film (opens with IndependentAn Unacceptable Journey (in a literal sense) is a little ordinary game. Richard (Richard Armitage) tells his long-time married wife, Laura (Alicia Silverstone) that he intends to end their divorce and marry his young girlfriend Grace (Riley Keough). Laura deceives herself, turning her children Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) against their birth mother. In addition to blaming Nomusa for her mother's despair and their parents' divorce, they regained her trust after realizing she had been the subject of her father's research. At age 12, Grace was the only survivor of the massacre led by her father, who aimed her to spread her sect's worldwide message.

Photo: Bertrand Calmeau / Neon

By the first act of The Lodge, Grace is very visible, the image that is immediately seen popping out of a window or disappearing through a door, or as a shadow reflected through a cold glass. Vandalism makes her look like a beast – even if she hasn't done anything worth loving, the distrust of children is appealing. He only appears in full when Richard takes them all on vacation to the family's winter residence. And as his image becomes clearer, so too does the fact that the story plays out in his view, not that of children. The chance is that we see a fairytale base setup play out in retrospect, and Grace is the antagonist, not the madman.

In many myths, a stepmother is as hopeful and defiant as the danger imagined by her stepchild. Here, the audience is asked to understand her – they want to keep up with these kids, but their hate exacerbates their anxiety and resilience. The POV shift happens slowly, as the family becomes accustomed to the accommodation and Grace does her best to entertain herself. In her interactions with Aidan and Mia, she becomes increasingly sympathetic, and the film's POV fits accordingly.

A subtle change in direction and expectation, and a promising sign for the storyline, as Richard leaves a solitary break in the living room as soon as the blizzard arrives. The story takes on a supernatural opportunity as Grace's medicine and other essentials begin to disappear. The original source of madness is amazing. As happened with Robert Eggers Lighting, it is unclear whether the escalating incidents are real, or the products of the cabinet fever, and the uncertainty makes the bottom line ever lower. But unlike Egger, Franz and Fiala give a clear answer, and in the process, rob their film of its power.

Image: Neon

It's like a cinema to see a magic trick explained. It's fascinating and worth seeing behind the scenes, but revealing how the plot is made can change what makes magic or art so effective. And, in this case, it gives a sense of the intensity of religious solidarity embedded throughout the story, from Laura's strong faith (and Mia's fear that she won't make it to heaven) to Grace's enduring disappointment with religious symbols displayed prominently throughout the lodge.

Franz and Fiala are smoother than those wrinkles because of the style. There is a clinical effect on their visuals reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos (Lobster, Favorites), as the characters are built against backgrounds, and the cameras are always in bad shape. The filmmakers also save any great sound or music until they absolutely need it. But this story fails their main part: Enough. It is up to her to sell how things are going, as Grace has every reason to fear that she has literally lost her power. Not enough handles to carry too much load. However, as the filmmakers made the scene very clear, they took the viewers out of Grace's head, rather than seeing the story with her, as the first opportunity implies. The exterior nature of the story is not naturally intriguing in Grace's magnificent view.

At the end of Dignity, Michael Caine also describes the nature of the three acts of the magic trick. As for celebrity, he says that people who look at magic think they want to know the truth behind the trick, but in fact they don't give up: “You don't want to achieve it. He wants to be deceived. ” The Lodge reveals her hand very early, and very clear. Magic disappears, and fame goes down.

The Lodge it's in theaters now.