Program Note
Kay is a busy working professional who’s told her mom Edna is missing. Kay and her daughter Sam take off to her rural hometown and discovers their decaying home is completely abandoned. Edna returns few days after, shaggy and without any memory of where she’s been. Realizing Edna is suffering from dementia, Kay and Sam decides to stay to care for her, when strange things take place at home as they realize something sinister may be targeting the entire family.
Relic is a fantastic feature directorial debut by Natalie Erica James, who effectively brings different aspect of horror outside of monsters, ghosts and killers. She introduces real concerns in our lives, such as aging, loneliness and dementia that affect our emotions, and combine them with a frightening ambiance and ghastly shocks of haunted house. Ms. James has created a unique horror film connecting three generations of women, with Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote as Kay and Sam, and Robyn Nevin as Edina with a tragic history shaping who she is. (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)