At some point in our lives, we all get swept away and caught up in the intoxicating high of young, new love, whether its real or imagined. While fully immersed in the depth of all this romantic and emotional giddiness, it would seem nothing could tear the two of you apart, nothing except, perhaps, a sudden and frightening event that occurs of unknown origin. Consider it the newlyweds’ worst nightmare, a honeymoon gone horribly wrong, at the hands of forces beyond your control.
In director Leigh Janiak’s film HONEYMOON, the newlyweds at the center of our story experience one version of this very nightmare. Paul and Bea are swimming in their joyous new life together and no other soul nor care in the world around them even registers on their radar. The two of them are sharing some time away from their jobs, their family, friends and everything else at a little country house by the lake. One night, Paul wakes up and finds his wife missing, only to discover her still, silent body standing almost comatose in the dark woods. Something bad has happened to Bea, but the details are lost on both of them at first.
Paul, played by Harry Treadaway, is a kind, caring average Joe that is clearly infatuated with his new wife. Bea, played by Rose Leslie of HBO’s Game of Thrones, is equally in love and the two carry on with an energetic, playfully erotic honeymoon until the mysterious night in the woods. From this point on, that carefree feeling is gone and their honeymoon rapidly spirals into a chaotic chain reaction of secrets, paranoia and unsettling revelations by Paul that something has changed about Bea and she clearly will never be the same woman he married.
The sudden and abrupt shift in tone of HONEYMOON puts on the breaks of our good time watching these two likable characters getting their kicks. The jarring nature of the event in the woods shakes us back into reality then plunges us into the uncertain and nerve-racking mystery of who, what and why. Bea plays this off at first, but her gradual emotional, psychological and physical departure from her husband sets Paul on a fear-driven mission to save her, somehow. Then the strange marks and bleeding begins and Paul struggles to convince Bea she needs help, as she pleads with Paul not to pry into what’s happening for his own safety.
The premise of HONEYMOON is fueled by the intimate setting and small cast. The answer to exactly what has occurred to Bea and why and by whom, or what, is never answered and is only vaguely eluded to as fuzzy, theoretical possibilities as derived by the audiences’ own imaginations. Then again, the film isn’t about the what, who or why, but the relationship and the aftermath this event causes. This is where Leslie and Treadaway deliver the backbone of the film, which is light on special effects and supporting cast.
HONEYMOON is a character-driven horror film of the utmost psychological nature. Something clearly happened to Bea, and is continuing to happen, evolving and progressing as Paul continues to feel more and more helpless. Treadaway shows admirable range in conveying the array of emotions Paul must endure during the span of this film, convincingly portraying a man overcome by fear, confusion, anger and to some extent, even betrayal. Leslie, on the other hand, continues to show she has grit as well as sexual appeal. She can be alluring and tough, but void of emotion or frighteningly creepy when necessary.
Janiak paints an eerie modern tale of horror with human emotions and the fear of the unknown, melding classic themes of Edgar Allen Poe with body horror that evokes the influence of David Cronenberg. HONEYMOON does not fall back on special effects or simple, primal shock tactics as a crutch to keep the audience attentive. In fact, I feel as though a very intentional effort was made to avoid the use of these tactics at all costs, whenever and however possible. This, in turn, makes for a much more enjoyable and believable experience.
HONEYMOON is a slow burn. The story builds, then crushes us, then gradually rebuilds in the aftermath of the wreckage, developing an entirely new and much darker universe for these two characters than that which we were first introduced. The film does require a small amount of patience and a slightly higher tolerance for some uncomfortable moments of minimally-risque sexual horror that will have both men and women cringing and quite possibly nauseated.
HONEYMOON opens on Friday, September 12th, 2014.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
