by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What makes for a great horror film? The horror elements are obviously important, but they are not the only elements that need to deliver. There needs to be some drama that connects you to the story and the characters. That is the point, too… story and characters. There are certainly films that go all in on the frights, but for a true connection, the rest needs to be there too. But sometimes the horror might not fit with the drama on the table. Or it could fall short of elevating the quality elements that are already there. This is Umma.
What does writer-director Iris K. Shim offer up in terms of story, first and foremost? This is a story about mothers and daughters. Tradition versus blazing your own path. Generational trauma. Shim paints a portrait of a woman struggling to hold onto her daughter while running from the specter of her own mother. Sandra Oh portrays Amanda, who struggles with a rare allergy to electricity, so she and her daughter, Chris (Fivel Stewart), live on a farm with chickens, bees, and no modern technology. Their only connection is a hired hand (Dermot Mulroney). But Chris wants to escape. She wants to experience college. But Amanda cannot handle this (even though she ran in the same way). The script is full of parallels and traumas that are passed along from mother to mother. Tradition dictated Amanda’s mother’s life, and now it dictates the haunting she experiences. When it comes down to it, this is an emotional story about these struggles.
But what does not quite work out about Shim’s screenplay? The dialogue. The exposition. It is excessive. There are a good 10 minutes in the middle of the film that is non-stop laying out information for the audience. The film is only 83 minutes, and you feel that drag. The script also leans into some serious horror tropes. Illogical character choices are sprinkled throughout. There is some strong detail work with plenty of plants, but by the time those well laid hints come to a head, the audience is most likely checked out because of the shortcomings. The film tries to balance Korean tradition in a meaningful way, and some of those elements deliver when it comes to character motivations and themes. But there are other elements that feel forced just for horror elements.
What about the horror? Sadly… it doesn’t work well. In many ways, this film had more potential as a supernatural drama than as a horror film. All the horror is delivered through cheap jump scares, abrupt shaky camera work, and cultural imagery that feels like it is supposed to be scary because it is different. Besides that, there is a choice made by Shim that undercuts a lot of the horror. There is a ghostly voice of Amanda’s mother that pops up too frequently before or during frights to say, “I AM HERE TO SCARE YOU!” What is the issue? It takes all the tension out of the scene. That is another issue. There is no tension or suspense. They are just surprises from jump scares and that felt cheap (even if some were staged with some care).
But what is the result of Umma? There is little actual horror in the film. I never really felt scared at all. But there was well-crafted and moving drama along the way. Oh delivers a strong performance that anchors the film and Stewart is right there with her. But when it comes down to it, the horror is distracting and takes away from the film instead of elevating the story. There is wasted potential along the way this one leaves a bit to be desired.
Score: 4/10
You can follow Shane Conto on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd