Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Relic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 17, 2020

In 2014, writer/director Jennifer Kent created “The Babadook.” It was a tale of a demonic presence, and while Kent was very clear with her spooky intent, she was also painting a portrait of parenthood, which is often an experience of unrelenting horror. It was a sharp, stunning feature with a delicious claustrophobic atmosphere. The type of viewing experience is found in “Relic,” which turns its attention to the various challenges of dementia and how the personal experience of such degeneration greatly taxes all those involved. Co-writer Natalie Erika James impressively merges the real- world agony of aging with a haunted house story, coming up with a complex film that’s richly detailed and performed, reaching above and beyond a simple ghost story to tap into deep emotions involving the nightmarish decline of a once vibrant loved one.

Receiving word that her elderly mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin), is missing, Kay (Emily Mortimer) leaves the big city to visit her parent’s remote home. Looking for clues as to where her mom might have headed, Kay can’t quite wrap her mind around the disappearance, fearing Edna has succumbed to the spread of dementia. Joined by her daughter, Sam (Bella Heathcote), Kay has trouble connecting with her child, dealing with a young woman who wants to believe her grandmother is capable of living on her own, fearful of what the future holds for the older woman. When Edna returns from out of nowhere, Kay begins to research long-term care facilities, but she notices strange behaviors from her mother, who returns with a massive bruise on her chest and often holds conversations with the darkness. While they try to restore some sense of order, Kay and Sam begin to sense a threatening presence in the house, unable to pinpoint an evil that’s invading their thoughts and dreams.

“Relic” opens with its truest offering of horror: the disappearance of Edna. She’s a frail older woman who lives alone after the death of her husband, trying to remain independent as her mind begins to turn on her. She escapes into the wild, or at least that’s what local law enforcement believes, with Kay rushing to the rural dwelling to understand what could’ve happened. The pressures of such an event are multiplied by the cops, who don’t have much in the way of leads concerning the missing lady, and there’s Sam, a moody young person who’s quick to be combative with her parent, unable to resolve certain hostile feelings in their relationship. “Relic” remains a modest endeavor, but the emotional concepts are initially universal, highlighting the struggle of guardianship and reminders of age, with Kay caught in a difficult spot of providing care for her mother and daughter while requiring support herself.

The supernatural experience soon enters “Relic,” with Edna’s return to the household inspiring psychological unrest, forcing Kay to confront her mother’s condition while working to deny it through the research of a senior facility. The house is a mess, with a hoarding situation clearly in progress, and long stretches of “Relic” are devoted to the exploration of rooms, which are stacked high with boxes, while post-its with puzzling information are stuck everywhere. Edna’s home becomes a maze for the inhabitants, with Kay reminded of the life she once knew with her mother, while Sam endures a darker tour, sensing something alive in the walls. James offers traditional nightmare imagery, focusing on rotting wood and flesh, while the production is obsessed with sounds and textures, working to inject something unsettling into Kay and Sam’s stay, following the pair as they slowly pursue a presence in the home that remains elusive.

Relic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation encounters a lot of compression-related issues, evident in the very first scene of the movie. Banding and posturization are a common sight during the viewing experience, with darker scenes especially struggling with artifacting. The image is a bit sturdier when fully illuminated, offering a look at the movie's colder palette, which favors bluish tinting and dark hues with interior spaces and household tours. Primaries register as intended, coming through on costuming and greenery. Skintones are natural. Detail is adequate, finding facial surfaces and bodily harm textured, along with decorative additions and decaying visions. Delineation has moments of solidification, but "Relic" is also an extremely dark picture at times.

Relic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers direct dialogue exchanges, handling the dramatic moods of the picture, which goes from conversational to panic as the mystery deepens. Accents are sharp and argumentative behavior doesn't slip into distortive extremes. Scoring isn't flashy, often carrying simple, sustained low notes to underline scene suspense, offering some low-end weight. Surrounds are alert with haunted happenings, delivering a few panning effects, while music is present. Atmospherics are also inviting, managing room tone, and sound effects are pronounced, capturing wall thumps and spooky movement.

Relic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:23, HD) is included.

Relic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Relic" is going somewhere beyond a basic horror show, through James likes to recycle slow-burn scenes of caution and delusion, working to beef up the run time. James really has a crackerjack short film on her hands, but she pushes for a feature-length brain-bleeder, which doesn't accentuate the picture's potential for suspense. She does have a first-rate cast that delivers engaged performances, and once more familiar offerings of creepiness pass, there's an unexpectedly empathetic movie to discover, and one that provides a unique vision for a frequent family and medical issue, offering a metaphorical journey that distracts with common genre encounters, only to end up in a strange place of love and fear that's impressively cinematic and startlingly humane.