Marrowbone (2018)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

Fantastic!

A Disappointing Continuation

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

In the extras features of the DVD of "Marrowbone," there was a lengthy segment of deleted scenes. One of those scenes was the presentation of a birthday cake with candles from Allie to Jack. When he blew out the candles, he made a wish that in his imagination he was celebrating his birthday with his sister and two brothers. If restored to the film, that scene would have framed many of the film's complexities in the context of "our story," a kind of family album that memorializes the saga of four siblings.From the bonus segments, the viewer meets the actors, director, producers, and other film artists. Clearly, there was a substantial amount of talent collaborating on this well-photographed film. On the other hand, there was clearly the intent of combining so many different film styles, including suspense, romance, horror, and fantasy, that the film eventually became a hodgepodge, deflecting the momentum away from the human story of the Marrowbone family.Of all of the different goals of the filmmakers, the one that emerged more completely than the others was the romance between Jack and Allie. Out of the convoluted evolution of the Fairbairn family to the Marrowbones, one constant was the devotion that Allie felt to the various family members.In another one of the deleted scenes, there is a brief sequence where we learn that Allie herself was an orphan, raised by her aunt and uncle. The scene offered a rationale for how, as a displaced person, Allie felt a bonding with the Marrowbone clan. Late in the film, a psychiatrist finds it difficult to understand a life choice made by Allie, especially in the context of the theme of freedom that is so important to the Marrowbone children. But with that deleted scene, Allie's story comes more clearly into focus.Film viewers expecting suspense and chills from a horror film may be disappointed with "Marrowbone." Indeed, the filmmakers may have made a wrong turn in teasing the audience with elements of the supernatural. But the real strength of the film was not in its shock value, but in unfolding of a beautiful love story, supported by some magnificent location footage of an idyllic world.

'The Secret Of Marrowbone (2018)' is full of good ideas, most of which are unfortunately executed slightly poorly. It isn't until the flick's finale that any of these ideas conflate into something worthwhile, something that provokes a genuine - and even guttural - reaction when it occurs, but even this is marred by a certain feeling of unoriginality, if not quite predictability, and an incredibly silly conceit, the absurdity of which is especially evident in retrospect and takes away from the initial proper horror of certain elements involving it. The eponymous 'secret' also falls apart slightly because of its representation and, to a degree, the execution of its reveal, as opposed to its concept or even necessarily its wider implications. To be fair, it does liven up proceedings - essentially paying you back for your previous 'good faith' during the piece's duller moments. It adds another layer to a picture that constantly toes the line of being too generic to stand apart from the crowd, giving it that special something to compound its 'worth' and make it feel like it was, at least, worth your time. Ironically, it makes it seem like it's trying to ape a certain subsection of its genre (one filled with many better, and inevitably more original, films) in the process, though. Some moments of the feature also fail to live up to scrutiny in retrospect and the final message is mixed, to say the least, even if the movie would have you believe it is an entirely positive one. Still, at least the picture is interesting. 6/10

A tight script, unexpected turns, well acted, a brooding menace. I liked this movie very clever script and beautifully shot.

Do not watch!! Started poor! Never got going! Ended even poorer!