1922 - Film Review
Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name 1922 is the second feature length film from Australian director Zak Hilditch and it’s a Netflix original. The story takes place on a rural farm in Nebraska and it’s about a family of three, Wilfred, Arlette and their 14 year old son Henry. After inheriting some land Wilfred and Arlette begin to argue over what to do with it, Arlette wanting to sell it and move to the city taking Henry with her and Wilfred wanting to stay firmly where he is! One thing leads to another and Wilfred decides the best option he has to keep his home is to murder his wife and he convinces his son to help him do it. After having done the deed Wilfred and Henry must then live with the consequences of their actions which proves very difficult for them both.
I went into this knowing very little, I’d heard it was good but that was about it and I didn’t have any sort of high expectations or anything but I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it, it’s great! I loved it, it’s an extremely original idea and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, it’s an excellent film. There’s a bleak tone with this dirty innocence to it, these characters, especially the fucking protagonist, are so redneck it fucking hurts, he’s almost inscrutable! It’s very well written with what feels like authentic dialogue to this region in that time and it’s a simple story but it’s extremely well told and I was fully engaged, there’s a nice pace to it as well, they take their time to sufficiently establish these characters and build the story before getting into the other stuff.
Thomas Jane’s performance as Wilfred James was fucking fantastic, his accent, his demeanour, everything! He nailed this role and did a wonderful job at portraying this repulsive character, he’s weak, he’s snivelling, he’s selfish and he’s a coward but he’s so disgustingly stupid it gives him this air of innocence and cushions the blow of your hatred for his actions because of it, it’s an interesting dynamic which gives you a weird feeling and the tone is almost comedic in moments, it’s a great mix. Dylan Schmid also did a great job as Wilfred’s equally dim-witted son Henry, he delivers an excellent performance and I really believed him as a little hillbilly. Molly Parker was also great, she was a little too smart for it to make sense that she’d be with Wilfred though, not that she was particularly smart but compared to them she was a fucking genius!
All in all I’d say it’s definitely the best Netflix original film I’ve seen yet of the three I’ve seen, it’s a great film and I’d definitely recommend it to everyone, it’s very entertaining, very unpredictable and it felt fresh, it’s an original idea and it’s very well executed, it’s not quite a masterpiece but it’s fairly close and I can actually see watching it again somewhere down the line, if you haven’t seen 1922 yet it’s definitely worth a watch and it’s on Netflix so it’s easy enough to get a hold of, Netflix is the future! Release all films this way I say, fuck the cinema completely, just make the film immediately available to watch in the comfort of your own home, not in the most uncomfortable seats known to man surrounded by lower life forms swimming with disease. I’m gonna give 1922 an 8.5/10, until next time Steemians!
What did you think of 1922?