In the picture: His House

movie review

Compelling characters and terrific performances anchor the drama in the new horror thriller His House

His House

Starring: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, and Matt Smith

Written and directed by: Remi Weekes

Remi Weekes uses haunted house horror to explore the refugee experience in his feature debut His House, a powerful thriller that weaves socio-political elements into the narrative.

The film tells the story of Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), a South Sudanese couple fleeing conflict. In search of a new beginning, they brave stormy waters to arrive on the shores of the United Kingdom, but lose their daughter, Nyagak (Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba), in an accident along the way. After a stay at a detention centre, the duo is finally granted probationary asylum. Their case worker (Matt Smith) then brings them to their new home: a dilapidated house on the outskirts of London that is in desperate need of upkeep.

But as they try to settle in and adapt to their new life, strange voices and visions begin to haunt them. Rial comes to believe that they are being targeted by a vengeful night witch. The protagonists are thereby left to deal not just with the apparitions that emanate from the walls of their house but also the looming fear of being deported lest they make a single wrong move. 

The ghosts deliver the movie’s jump scares, but the actual horror of the situation lies in the plight of these asylum seekers, who, it soon becomes apparent, are dealing with traumas from their past and struggling with the effects of grief and survivor’s guilt.

The proceedings are often touching and, at times, chilling, even though the movie does occasionally falter. The second act meandered a bit (a more taut screenplay could have perhaps made the drama even more intense, especially towards the middle), while the third act delivers a twist that switches the focus to the protagonists’ actions that cause their guilt, a development that some viewers might find more effective than others.

What massively helps the story though is the terrific performances by the leads; Wunmi Mosaku in particular makes it easy to form an emotional connection with Rial and be invested in her plight. 

His House may not be the scariest movie you will ever watch, but it offers a different take on a well-worn genre. You can’t help but empathize with the characters’ predicament as Weekes dissects prejudices, indifference, desperation, assimilation, and several other issues. This is, for the most part, a well-crafted, well-shot, and well-acted project that takes you on an interesting, engaging journey, and delivers horrors both supernatural and – even more harrowingly – very real.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 22nd November, 2020 *

Over the Moon - familiar but touching

movie review

Over the Moon

Starring (voices): Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Margaret Cho, Sandra Oh

Directed by: Glen Keane

Netflix made a successful foray into the world of animated features with the release of two terrific films – Klaus and The Willoughbys (both of which are highly recommended if you haven’t seen them yet) – within the span of months. The streaming service continues this trend with its latest animated movie, Over the Moon, a charming fantasy musical that is very likely to entertain its viewers.

The story’s heroine is the feisty Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) who grows up listening to her mother’s (Ruthie Ann Miles) renditions of legends about a Moon goddess named Chang’e (Phillipa Soo), a lonely immortal heartbroken over her lost mortal love. 

Fei Fei and her family live happily in their village where they make and sell mooncakes. But her mother’s illness and death soon bring sorrow to the youngster’s life. Four years later, when she finds out that her father (John Cho) plans to remarry, an upset Fei Fei decides to build a rocket to the Moon so that she can prove that Chang’e – and therefore true love – is real in the hopes that this will stop her father from starting a new family.

Her subsequent journey does not go quite as she had planned, but she eventually ends up learning the very lessons that she needed.

The build-up is sweet and touching, which makes it easy to care for the protagonist. The film does jump from its initial realistic setting to a fantasy-drenched follow-up, and while the transition is a little jarring, the bright and colourful visuals are still fun to watch. 

Despite its uneven tone, the warmth of the tale is sure to win you over. For the most part the drama is moving, even when the developments are either too convenient or just unclear. It is also good to see Asian representation in a mainstream release. Plus there are several (some would say too many!) lively sidekicks (including a possible step-brother (Robert G Chiu), a pangolin (Ken Jeong), and a cute pet bunny), and the tunes are enjoyable too.

Many of the film’s thematic elements, however, are familiar. Several movies by Disney and Pixar have explored the ideas of loss, overcoming grief, and embracing change. And while Over the Moon may not be as memorable or impactful as instant classics like Up and Coco (and even the recent Onward), it is still a heartfelt, touching, engaging episode that tries to keep you entertained from start to finish.

- By Sameen Amer

Young World, Dawn - 14th November, 2020 *

Physics will not judge you

book review

A compendium of impractical but entertaining and scientifically solid advice that will help you see everyday issues in a new light

When we run into a problem, most of us are inclined to look for the simplest solution. Randall Munroe, on the other hand, seems to have a very different philosophy when it comes to handling problems: make them as complicated as humanly possible and see where that leads you.

That is precisely the approach he takes in his book, How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, a tome that shows there’s clearly no issue that can’t be made more complicated with a little bit of science and a whole lot of imagination!

Best known for his delightful webcomic xkcd, Munroe — formerly a roboticist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) — has been amusing us with his nerdy stick-figure creations for nearly 15 years. Along with his online offerings, he has also employed his wit and wisdom to create interesting books, such as 2014’s What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, in which he provides logical answers to humorously bizarre user-submitted queries, and 2015’s Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words — another very self-explanatory title.

Munroe’s latest volume finds him exploring unusual approaches to accomplishing seemingly simple (as well as some not-so-simple) tasks. Each of the book’s 28 chapters is dedicated to a different topic and applies science, research and creativity to come up with fascinatingly convoluted scenarios.

Many subjects seem like practical concerns before the author takes them to impractical extremes. In ‘How to Throw a Pool Party’, for instance, Munroe doesn’t provide us with a tutorial on putting together the invitations, snacks and décor for a social gathering. What we get instead is a humorously thorough manual on how to build and fill the pool that you would need for the aforementioned party. And, thanks to the magic of science, you are no longer bound to create an average, conventional pool. “Physics doesn’t care if your question is weird. It just gives you the answer, without judging,” Munroe reassures us — before explaining how we can construct a pool out of cheese and fill it with 150,000 bottles of Fiji water.

The discussions don’t degenerate into absurdity, though. The author and illustrator makes sure that he examines interesting ideas along the way. There is something fascinating in every chapter. For instance, ‘How to Tell If You’re a Nineties Kid’ explains the impact of nuclear tests on unsuspecting humans; ‘How to Send a File’ delves into the migration of butterflies; and ‘How to Take a Selfie’ teaches us about occultation (when an object in the foreground blocks an object in the back).

While most chapters are inspired by fairly routine tasks — such as jumping really high, digging a hole, sending a file online, charging your phone or mailing a package — a few stranger ones are also thrown into the mix. If you want to learn how to build a lava moat, keep your house from moving, or power your house on Mars, then this book has you covered.

Munroe’s intelligence and knowledge shine through with his unique take on each subject. Along with his own insights (which are often built upon research or backed by calculations), the author also occasionally reaches out to some experts in their fields in order to “apply their unique expertise to ridiculous tasks.” Most prominently, he interviews astronaut Chris Hadfield on emergency landings and, in what is perhaps the book’s most memorable moment, recruits tennis superstar Serena Williams to help test whether tennis serves could be an effective countermeasure against hovering drones.

The writer’s witty geek humour, and the stick-figure cartoons that accompany the text, make the book a fun read. The more theoretical elements have generally been made accessible to the layperson, although there are a few parts that might still be a little difficult to follow if you aren’t well-versed in basic science.

The material is perhaps easier to digest if it’s read a section at a time instead of being devoured in larger chunks. The mathematical components can occasionally be a bit dry, while some theories and formulae might leave you wishing you’d paid more attention in your high-school physics class. It’s a good thing then that Munroe’s enthusiasm for science is absolutely contagious. How To is likely to motivate you to further explore the ideas discussed therein, and might even inspire you to look at the world in a fascinatingly offbeat way.

All in all, this compendium of impractical advice might not teach you how to actually do anything in a simple, easy way, but its amusingly convoluted takes serve as an entertaining, thought-provoking read that will help you understand different topics, learn random scientific trivia and see things in a new light.

- Sameen Amer

Books & Authors, Dawn - 8th November, 2020 *