Taking a journey into the mind to work out past childhood trauma can sometimes make for a pretty run-of-the-mill movie, but Turkish director Can Evrenol managed to make the journey something very out of the ordinary and visually dynamic.
“Housewife” follows Holly (Clémentine Poidatz), a woman who is dealing the with the violent death of her father and sister at the hands of her rageful mother when she was a little girl. Holly grew up to be afraid of moving on, which is expressed through her fear of using toilets because her mother drowned her sister in one. Her life with her husband seems ideal, but when her old friend from college reappears in her life, Holly’s world is turned upside down with new forces trying to break her down psychologically.
Evrenol manages to take a story about overcoming fear and turning it into a nightmare of blood and sex by way of Mario Bava and strange cults hell bent on bringing on the end of the world. I didn’t think a movie like this would feature the apocalypse with H.P. Lovecraft-inspired imagery, but Evrenol does a fine job transitioning a audience from something ordinary into something that’s completely fucked up, and I mean that in a very good way. All while making a movie that’s deeply personal and so much fun to watch.
“Housewife” isn’t for everyone, but if you allow the film to work its magic on you, you’ll find something worth watching. It’s a bonkers experience in every way imaginable.
Story – B+
Acting – A-
Technical – A-
Overall – B+