By: debblie lynn elias
Long have we heard the old adage that “marriage is hell”, but what about the honeymoon? Thanks to first time writer/director Leigh Janiak and HONEYMOON, couples may now want to start rethinking their own post-marital celebrations as Janiak gives new meaning to honeymoon hell and marital bliss. Deconstructing a relationship thanks to over-zealous paranoia and that omnipresent question, “How well do you know the person you married?”, Janiak and co-writer Phil Graziadei deliver an intriguing story fueled by doubt and uncertainty, hesitancy and fear, while creating suspense and tension with a sinister slow burn.
As newlyweds Paul and Bea head out on their HONEYMOON to a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Bea’s family, it doesn’t take long to realize this was one hasty wedding, undoubtedly spurred onward thanks to incredible sexual chemistry as opposed to lifetime compatibility. The characters and the audience are all on the same page when it comes to learning about who Paul and Bea are; who can cook, who likes long walks in the woods, who plays board games, who hates mud and thick foliage, who’s afraid of the dark. But by the end of the first act, the audience is ahead of the game, although it remains to be determined what they have witnessed on screen and that’s where real suspense takes hold.
While the couple sleeps in the dead quiet and black of night, a strange bright white light pierces the inky darkness outside before angling in on the sleeping couple, and particularly, Bea. An even stranger pulsating “thrumming” noise accompanies the light; a noise that carries a vibration so intense one would think it would wake the dead. But it doesn’t wake Paul and Bea. The next day, the marital bliss starts to chip as Bea seems a bit off, especially after reconnecting with a former flame who runs a local restaurant and market and after Paul finds her outside in the middle of the night stark naked. An affair? Already?
As jealousy and doubt start to consume Paul, straining the already somewhat soft marital foundation, Bea seems disconnected, disinterested, merely going through the motions, and increasingly forgetful of the brief personal history that they do share. What’s happening to this HONEYMOON? Although Paul decides they need to leave the isolated woods and return to a land of cell phones and wi-fi and people, Bea refuses and even goes out of her way to prevent the couple from leaving the cabin.
“Penny Dreadful’s” Harry Treadaway and “Game of Thrones” Rose Leslie have a comfortable and youthfully believable dynamic as Paul and Bea. They suit the roles and the story well, bringing an ease, and subsequent necessary uneasiness, to the experience. Immensely likeable, they connect with the audience, making us care about each character individually and as a couple. Although there are some moments of disbelief within the character traits of Paul, Harry Treadaway delivers a fully ranging emotional palette, hitting the beats of love, wonder, bliss, jealousy, anger and fear at every point for a full-bodied performance. Rose Leslie walks a fine line of control that fuels the story and has us begging for clues and answers as to the unfolding mystery.
Although Janiak and co-writer Phil Graziadei include all the requisite “horror” tropes, trappings and cliches we have come to expect in the suspense/horror genre, it’s on the technical levels where Janiak makes her mark. Working with cinematographer Kyle Klutz, the shoot is relatively self-contained within the confines of a very small cabin. Shooting hand-held, lensing angles are varied, interesting and intimate while exteriors serve as contrast with wide shots, often dutched to make the forestry even more menacing and our principals more insignificant. Wonderful visual metaphor. An underwater scene is a real achievement given the murky muddiness of the water. Outstanding is a climactic bathroom scene that despite my lengthy interview with Janiak and her directorial revelations, still has me amazed at how it was executed. Special effects are minimal but effective.
Editor Chris Capp excels with the pacing, creating a solid, even, steady flow that hits peak moments in a timely manner (i.e., before the audience can lose interest), while fueling the slow burn of Janiak’s overall construct. But the real achievement is the sound design. Integral to the paranoia and fear, although not “surround sound”, the design is such so that it does surround you. Imagine the cabin as the center, and the audience in the cabin. We hear every leaf, every crackle of a branch, drop of water, hoot owl, footstep, muddy slip, cabinet door click, as if in the thick of the story with Paul and Bea. And then the “thrum”! Any classic movie fan will immediately liken it to “The Incredible Mr. Limpett” – and it provides the same foreboding trepidation today as it did 50 years ago.
Let HONEYMOON be your late night honeymoon destination – if you dare.
Directed by Leigh Janiak
Written by Leigh Janiak and Phil Graziadei
Cast: Harry Treadaway and Rose Leslie
