Good afternoon, House of Madness demons:
There's nothing quite like a good old fashioned slow-burn. No, I'm not talking about the sensation you get below the equator after waking up next to a questionable partner following a heavy night of drinking, I'm talking about the most rewarding method a film can utilize as the final payoff. As the film creeps along, it builds up to a climax you've been anxiously anticipating and your 'This-Better-Pay-Off-O-Meter' is ready to explode all over the living room floor (careful, we just re-finished the hardwood). Indeed, nothing is more satisfying than the moment the slow-burn ignites your curiosities ablaze, unleashing an inner inferno that will smolder well into morning, leaving behind cinders of memories you won't soon forget. There is a flip-side to the slow-burn of course, and after patiently waiting ninety or so minutes for a reveal that plays out with the gusto of a dead fish, can leave you feeling frustrated and angry to the point of smashing your television on the living room floor (again, watch the finish please). Luckily for us, "Attachment" remains interesting throughout, not only keeping our attention span in check, but delivering a final climax that satiates the most vulgar and rapacious of appetites.
Just another Danish day in the lonely life of washed up actress Maja (Josephine Park) as she trudges her way towards her next paying gig of reading to children dressed as an elf, when she accidentally walks into a complete stranger named Leah (Ellie Kendrick), knocking all of her books out of her hands. The two laugh it off, but as their eyes lock, a mutual feeling of lustful interest cannot be ignored, and after staying behind to watch Maja's reading, Leah agrees to join Maja for some tea at her flat. One tea turns into several, and tea turns into.....well, you know. After realizing this is more than just a one night fling, Leah confesses that she has to head home to London the next day, where she lives in a house with her mother Chana (Sofie Grabol) who isn't well, and her flight leaves first thing in the morning. After walking Leah out the next day, Maja collapses into her bed in woeful despair as the woman she has so long cherished could only stay for mere moments, leaving her behind to wallow in solitude for seemingly all of eternity. Leah must have felt the same, as she suddenly reappears in Maja's bedroom exclaiming that she's not going home, and wants to stay. All is well!
All is well until Leah has a seizure that is, and breaks her leg in the process, leading to her having to return home after all. Maja's desire to go with Leah is initially rebuked because Leah insists the atmosphere with her mother is no place for strangers, but is easily convinced by her newfound love, and the two set out for London together. To say Leah's mother is a bit odd would be like saying Pauly Shore is a bit of a has-been, and no matter how hard Maja tries to win Chana's approval, she just can't seem to break through the woman's eccentric protective barrier. Not only is Chana extremely religious, overbearing, and methodical, but there are little trinkets, notes, and rituals scattered behind furniture throughout the house as if they're warding off some kind of presence that nobody seems willing to talk about.
Maja stumbles into a bookstore one day along her travels, and after a few meetings, starts getting some information and history from the store owner Lev (David Dencik) who also just happens to be Chana's brother-in-law, and he knows a lot more about the goings-on in Chana and Leah's lives than he's letting on. Everything Maja shows Lev seems to be some kind of ancient ritual, prayer, or name of a god in an effort to ward off demons, spirits, or even a dybbuk. Before Maja can get any real answers as to what is actually going on in that house, she will have to devise a plan in which Chana is no longer the one in charge, and her and Leah will be free to live their own lives together as one. Once this is accomplished, will the two young women be able to live a life together ensconced in happiness, or is there more at stake going on behind closed doors that must be dealt with before they can truly be free? Well, let's just say you'd better stick it out to the end, as "Attachment" has a few tricks up its sleeve, and doesn't necessarily do things by dybbuk.
"Attachment" is currently streaming on Shudder; check out the trailer here.
Madness Meter: 7/10
NB
