Separation – Movie Review
Director: William Brent Bell (The Boy)
Writer: Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun (Screenplay)
Cast
- Rupert Friend (Starred Up)
- Violet McGraw (Doctor Sleep)
- Madeline Brewer (Hustlers)
- Mamie Gummer (Out of Blue)
- Brian Cox (The Autopsy of Jane Doe)
Plot: A young girl finds solace in her artist father and the ghost of her dead mother.
Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Separation starts as Jeff (Friend) and Maggie (Gummer) are going through a bitter divorce. While most of the separation between the two is smooth enough, the fight is over their daughter Jenny (McGraw).
In the latest argument, Maggie is killed in a hit-and-run, leaving Jeff in the custody of Jenny. Even though he was going to lose the case, now Maggie’s father Paul (Cox) wants full custody. Jenny in the pain of losing her mother starts seeing Jeff’s creations in her nightmares, believing they are coming for her.
Verdict on Separation
Characters
Jeff is a struggling comic book artist who is going through a bitter divorce. He wants to keep custody of his daughter, but this is his biggest fight until his ex-wife is killed. Jeff feels like he has won because he gets to spend all his time with his daughter and takes up a smaller job to support her. He will struggle with the loss but must remain strong for his daughter. Learning to understand the spirits lurking in their home.
Jenny is Jeff’s daughter; she has heard her parents fighting for a while now. She has a different relationship with both parents and doesn’t understand what might happen to her if they split. After her mother dies, she starts seeing strange things around the home, while drawing darker pictures of her nightmares. It is clear her character has been through the pain of seeing the parents split and losing one and doesn’t know how to handle it.
Samantha is the nanny who helps with Jenny, she tries to push Jeff’s artistic abilities, knowing the talent he has. She is always available whenever Jeff needs someone to look after Jenny.
Maggie is Jeff’s ex-wife who is fighting hard for full custody of Jenny. She finds herself working full-time, knowing her support system will offer Jenny the best life.
Paul Rivers is Maggie’s father who wants to use his wealth to give Jenny the best home. He doesn’t like Jeff and even after Maggie’s death, he continues the fight for Jenny.
Performances
Rupert Friend in the leading role shows us a struggling parent and artist. He shows the struggles his character is going through, with an accepting work presence parents can end up having.
Violet McGraw has made an impact on horror entertainment in recent years. She understands the distressed daughter’s character with her being part of the next powerhouse horror kids’ family.
Brian Cox brings authority to the screen, in a character we expect certain things about. He will always be the character you want to see what they do next.
Story
The story follows a struggling artist and father who after tragedy strikes is left in full custody of his daughter. He needs to sort his life out and stop an evil presence from haunting their home.
The story uses the concept of loss and parents splitting up to drive the supernatural toward the young girl. It works because Jenny is struggling with that and Jeff is struggling too, making them an easier target.
The story does come along well, it is the final act which gets to mirror the idea of a new comic book Jeff is working on those changes more about where we end up.
Themes
Separation is a horror mystery that uses the themes of loss to drive an evil force. The visits bring us nightmare creations, despite them being the bigger version of the puppet creations in Jeff’s life. The effects make them brilliant, easily the highlight of the movie. It would be easy to see or hear stories of people having nightmares about running into them.
Where to Watch: Separation is available on Netflix.
Final Thoughts – Separation has nightmare creations that will terrify you.
