THE MOTH DIARIES (2011)

 "MY MOTHER, SHE KILLED ME, MY FATHER, HE ATE ME, MY SISTER, LITTLE MARLINCHEN, GATHERED TOGETHER ALL MY BONES, TIED THEM IN A SILKEN HANDKERCHIEF, LAID THEM BENEATH THE JUNIPER TREE, TWEET, TWEET, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BIRD AM I."

This film seems to polarize people with some giving it lousy reviews and others giving it raves.  I'm more in the latter category.  I thought this was excellent.  I don't know, perhaps the strongly female perspective confuses or puts off a lot of men but I, for one, found it incredibly riveting as well as beautifully made.  This is also a 'quiet' horror film with no outright scares; it creeps into your head and builds the feeling of unease.  So, if you're looking for big horror scenes, this is not the film for you.  Directed by Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSYCHO -- no, I haven't seen that film yet) from a Rachel Klein book, THE MOTH DIARIES really really REALLY captures the feel and atmosphere of Victorian-era gothic fiction (of which I'm quite the appreciative reader).  The film takes place in a modern-day girls' school which used to be a hotel but, despite it's modern setting, the Victorian gothic pervades everything.  Klein says, in a behind-the-scenes special feature interview on the blu ray, that she had no interest in the supernatural or horror genre until, when she was pregnant, her husband read Bram Stoker's DRACULA to her.  Wow, she REALLY got an interest after that.  Besides DRACULA (which is mentioned in the film by Gothic Lit teacher Mr. Davies), the movie also heavily features Sheridan Le Fanu's vampiric novella CARMILLA (assigned to the class to read by Mr. Davies).  And the closest thing I can think of to describe what the film feels like to me is, in fact, CARMILLA.  Everything in the film (which may or may not feature an actual vampire -- by the end, we kinda know the answer to that question) is subtle and beautifully evoked by Harron (who also wrote the script) and the wonderful performances of the entire cast!  In addition to these gothic books, the quote I started off this post with is from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Juniper Tree" which is sung by the 'vampire' character at one point.  This tale is more dark and mature than your run-of-the-mill Grimm fairy tale and concerns bloody murder, loss and cannibalism.  All themes that fit rather well in this movie.

Rebecca (Sarah Bolger) and Lucy (Sarah Gadon) are best friends at the Brangwyn School when new student Ernessa Bloch (Lily Cole) appears.  Fascinating, mysterious and alluring, Ernessa soon becomes Lucy's 'best friend' with Rebecca left in the dust.  Before too long, it seems like everyone who tries to come between Ernessa and Lucy get eliminated -- one way or another.  Not only does Lucy seem to be in Ernessa's thrall  but she also seems to be wasting away.

While this is absolutely NOT a retelling of CARMILLA, it IS very much it's spiritual sister.  The word 'sister' here is very appropriate since, with the exception of the dopey Mr. Davies (Scott Speedman), the cast is almost all women.  I found that to be really interesting and refreshing; the dynamics of the relationships between all these young women was, I found to be, extremely well written and acted by the cast.  Bolger, Gadon and particularly the mesmerizing Cole are top notch but everyone else is too.  The wonderful Judy Parfitt has a small but crucial role as the school's headmistress as well.  The cinematography by Declan Quinn is also stunningly gorgeous and the attention to the different seasons is absolutely crucial.  This is one of those rare films which I wanted to re-watch as soon as it ended.