The Lowdown: A faux-documentary that actually feels like a real one. For being able to pull that off, Lake Mungo easily qualifies as one of the best of the genre. Lake Mungo is also horribly underrated, making it one of the best films that no one has ever seen. It’s a shame since the film is so chilling and yet, so contemplative.
1. The Plot: Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) and her family are enjoying a nice day at the lake when Alice mysteriously goes missing. Later, her body is found and her death is ruled as an accidental drowning. Her family goes into mourning and the film sees how Alice’s death have affected each family member’s life. However, creepy and inexplicable events begin to occur around the house. Strange noises are heard from Alice’s room and ghostly images of her begin to appear in photos and videos taken around the house. Deeply disturbed, the Palmers go to a parapsychologist for help. As the Palmers dig deeper into the mystery, they begin to uncover deep, dark secrets that Alice had.
Seems like an ordinary photo...wait...
2. The Characters:Perhaps it’s how well the film was made and written, but at a certain point, one forgets that this is not a documentary about a family grieving; it’s a work of fiction. Unlike other films in the genre which feature actors acting like they’re not acting, in Lake Mungo, the performances are much more restrained and, as a result, more human. There are no extended scenes featuring characters running around and screaming. These are just completely average, normal people who just go about their daily lives. Even when they become disturbed by all the creepy stuff going on, there aren’t sudden loud noises and other cheap scares. Given how many horror films feature egregious overacting, it’s strangely refreshing to see a horror film with restrained acting.3. Grief: Lake Mungo is a personal tale of grief. For any family, the loss of a family member is true horror. The quiet sadness in the house after Alice’s death is almost intolerable because of the realization that even though daily life can return to normal, that immense sadness may never completely subside. The fear of death itself is one thing; the aftermath is something else entirely. But that’s not all. All of the creepy images and mysterious occurrences in Lake Mungo are merely icing on the cake. Two-thirds of the way in, the viewer may think that he or she knows what really happened. As the film progresses and the family investigates further, the viewer slowly realizes that everything is not what it seems, and that there is more to the mystery. Then, one shocking and deeply unsettling revelation is unveiled, and that one moment is so spine-tingling that it instantly becomes burned into your mind forever. It may also be a bit mind-boggling once you recover from the initial shock and begin to think about it. Then, as the ending rolls around, the final puzzle pieces are put into their places and the big picture is revealed. It is a twist ending that gives some of the best twist endings a run for their money. It makes sense and leaves the viewer thinking and wondering.
The Bottom Line:Truly, Lake Mungo is an underrated masterpiece. It is visceral and unsettling, and yet so quiet and contemplative since the subject of the film is grief. Its twist isn’t like a standard horror twist where the killer is revealed to be not dead and the remaining survivors die for no reason. Instead, it is a twist that subverts expectations and gives the viewer more food for thought. Thematically, it is consistent and thoughtful. How do people handle the death of a loved one? What is life and what is death? Is there a true distinction? The bottom line: Lake Mungo is unlike any horror film you’ve ever seen, and it is one that definitely deserves to be seen.
Lake Mungo is property of Mungo Productions, Screen Australia, and SBS Independent. This review was written by me.
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