Program Note
Tomaz is a homeless in London who suffers of PTSD from his soldier days. He is offered by a kind nun a position to be a live-in caretaker of an old house occupied by a young woman Magda and her dying mother tucked away in isolation. As Tomaz settles in his job, he is torn between having romantic feelings towards Magda and the feelings that something sinister is taking place in this isolated house and that it is too late for him to leave, either way.
Romola Garai is an award-winning actress turned writer-director, whose feature debut Amulet defies any cinematic conventions. Her goal isn’t just making a formulaic horror tale; rather, she takes chances playing with human emotions, getting heart-warming yet repulsive and astonishing performances from each character. Multifaceted performances, led by Carla Juri as Magda and Alec Secareanu as a tortured soul Tomaz, lead to their interactions accumulating toward a shocking closure to one of most original horror films to come out in recent times. (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)