Umma : Netflix Review
UMMA NETFLIX REVIEW
In the horror movie directed by Iris K. Shim and made by Sam Raimi, the "Killing Eve" star has terrifying mother issues.
The movie bizarrely attempts to reinvent what could have been a straightforward, if mostly low-key horror exercise with scenes featuring various things popping up out of the darkness with numbing regularity as a straightforward drama about the traumatic family ties that bind (and occasionally choke).
An old Korean grandma causes difficulty when she arrives to live with her family on a distant American farm. Unfortunately, I'm not referring to Minari when I talk about the latest horror movie from Sam Raimi, in which Sandra Oh struggles greatly with being a mother. Although the seasoned actress tries her best to give Umma (Korean for "mother") some psychological depth to go along with its jump scares, it turns out that this debut film written and directed by Iris K. Shim is the kind of little chiller best enjoyed on late-night cable.
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The grandmother in this instance is deceased, but that doesn't stop her from reappearing on occasion (as the stern MeeWha Alana Lee) to wreck havoc on the lives of her granddaughter Chris and daughter Amanda (Oh) (Fivel Stewart, Atypical). Not that it's difficult to accomplish considering the two appear to be leading an odd existence already, subsisting on honey from their large bee colonies and residing off the grid because Amanda reportedly gets sick if she's near power. The two have developed a deep, isolated bond that is only occasionally disturbed by the appearances of a nice local who operates an online shop (Dermot Mulroney, who adds understated gravitas). Even though Fivel is getting close to college age, she doesn't have any friends, and even if she had, she wouldn't be able to contact them because she doesn't have a cell phone.
The unexpected arrival of Amanda's uncle (Tom Yi) from Korea, who comes bringing a peculiar present — a sizable box holding her recently departed mother's meager goods as well as her ashes — upends their quiet life together. Because horrible things start happening soon after Amanda's uncle departs, she has been estranged from her "umma" for a long time and has no interest in getting involved. Amanda's umma makes strange appearances and hectors her daughter, which suggests that the mother and daughter have unresolved emotional issues (in subtitled Korean).
We started as one, and we'll end as one, Umma says ominously as she appears to be gradually gaining ownership of Amanda.
The film's well-known horror elements are less interesting than the subtle dramatic scenes where Chris begins to come out of her shell with the help of the business associate's niece who is visiting (Odeya Rush), who befriends her and lets her know that her mother's purported allergy to electricity might be unfounded. The proceedings have some much-needed heart thanks to Stewart's compassionate performance as the conflicted daughter who loves her mother but longs to start her own life.
The painstaking attempts of writer-director Shin to employ genre clichés to examine the complexity of controlling mother-daughter relationships never quite take off. The screenplay occasionally borders on incoherence and plot points are frequently left hanging, as if numerous scenes had been taken off the final cut (the film runs a brief 83 minutes including credits, which makes it seem less tight than choppy). There are numerous spooky arresting scenes, such when Amanda's umma appears to be dragging her daughter into the grave, but they never come together to form a cohesive aesthetic.
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