FILM REVIEW: Consecration (2023)
- Gav
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
Consecration - New Release Review
Director: Christopher Smith
Starring: Jena Malone, Janet Suzman, Danny Huston, Thoren Ferguson, Steffan Cennydd, Ian Pirie
Written by: Christopher Smith, Laurie Cook
Produced by: Laurie Cook, Stuart Ford, Casey Herbert, Xavier Marchand, Jason Newmark
Cinematography by: Rob Hart, Shaun Mone
Original Score by: Nathan Halpern
Synopsis:
After the alleged suicide of her priest brother, Grace travels to the remote Scottish convent where he fell to his death. Distrusting the Church's account, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about herself.
Thoughts:
Jena Malone stars as Grace, who we are first introduced to as she meanders down a street with the help of a voiceover telling us that her brother always believed she had a guardian angel when she, believed in nothing. But now, as an elderly nun approaches her threateningly, she's "not so sure".
An ominous and intriguing start to a film that continuously does a noble job at setting things in motion only to fizzle out through the overuse of repetitive religious clichés, both narratively and visually. It's a bit too convoluted for its own good, with decent ideas but a script that doesn't quite live up to them.
After the introduction we're then transported shortly back in time when Grace finds out that her brother, now a priest, is dead. A potential suicide perhaps. Or even murder. Grace travels to his last known location, a nunnery in the wilds of Scotland where his body was found on the rocks underneath the deadly cliff of the ancient ruins. Another priest was also found dead and the DCI attached to the case explains to Grace that the working theory is that her brother Michael murdered the priest then killed himself afterwards. It's now up to Grace to find out the truth. But something else is going on. Grace is being haunted by flashbacks and hallucinations of a past she doesn't quite recognise and a future she has no idea is closer than she thinks.
The first, and maybe only thing that stands out about 'Consecration' is how it's shot. It has a beautiful and brooding hue that brings a bit of realism to it. Almost kitchen sink drama like. Rob Hart and Shaun Mone are clearly inspired by horror classic like 'The Haunting' and 'The Changeling' and they do attempt to recreate some of that quintessentially creepy atmosphere that so many iconic films from that era where able to capture. There's lots of medium to wide shots of the stunning Scottish scenery and of course the convent location provides so many opportunities to create some gorgeous sequences using long corridors, melancholy lighting and portentous shadows. The pair even try to reproduce an unforgettably shot scene from 'Contact' by the legendary Don Burgess in which the character walks towards the camera as it reverses and then we realise it's actually a mirror shot. It's cleverly edited in post of course and Hart and Mone include this in 'Consecration' because the actress is the same. It was a very young Jena Malone playing a younger version of Jodie Foster's Ellie Arroway. Cinephiles will chuckle at the homage.
Despite the overall impressive look of the film, the plot just sort of disintegrates as it progresses into the final act. It's clear it's all trying to build up to a powerful and shocking reveal and it just didn't deliver for me. I don't want to give away any spoilers but there's just way too much of an over-reliance on language involving "doing God's bidding" and similar stuff of that nature. It feels very repetitive and becomes tiresome. There's some nice imagery used throughout and although it's not particularly scary, I will never tire of seeing a habit wearing, ghost-like nun covered in a crimson mask of blood under moody lighting. But the scariest moments aren't the teases of "demons" but rather the real life trauma Grace received at the hand of her abusive father. Ian Pirie plays her father and he is terrifying in a scene where she visits him in prison.
To be fair the performances are all pretty good. Danny Huston is forcing it a bit as the overzealous Father Romero who has been sent by the Vatican. His accent is all over the place. Janet Suzman as Mother Superior is reliable and Eilidh Fisher as one of the younger nuns really spooked me out. There was something very frightening about her childlike naivety and pale complexion.
Although it's story is fairly forgettable amidst the renaissance of religious themed convent-set supernatural horror films, Jena Malone's performance does somewhat elevate it a tad but sadly it is a bit of a mess overall.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️½
'Consecration' is available on Digital Download from June 16th
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