Director/co-writer Samuel Van Grinsven’s sophomore feature is technically a ghost story, but plays more like a two-hander chamber drama. Vicky Krieps leads the cast as the widow of a woman dealing with the aftermath of her suicide. When an unknown young man (Dacre Montgomery) unexpectedly shows up at the funeral, his presence triggers revelations of long-buried family secrets and the deceased’s unfinished business.
Buy Went Up the Hill DVDThe two lead characters are conveniently named Jack and Jill, although there’s no hill in sight. Jill is deep in mourning, but upon learning that Jack is her wife’s long-lost son, invites him to stay with her as they sift through their unresolved feelings about the deceased woman who connects them. Unfortunately, the deceased woman is also not at peace, leading her spirit to inhabit either of them to communicate and act out her wishes. The supernatural angle is all a bit hokey, but it does help to explain why the pair continue to live together long after propriety would seem to dictate Jack’s departure.
As we learn more backstory, it becomes clear that the dead woman wasn’t a good person. She abused Jack in his early childhood, leading her sister to strip him away from her and commit him to the state rather than continue his abusive upbringing. Jill seemingly had a loving relationship with her, but the selfish spirit seems intent on making Jill kill herself so they can be together in the afterlife. With her swapping back and forth between possessing the two while harming each of them both physically and mentally, it’s more a psychological study than anything approaching a horror film.
The setting is an integral part of the piece, with the two stars forced by circumstance into living together in the familial home, a large but chillingly austere house in the middle of nowhere. The isolation makes the pair easy targets for continued hauntings. The gloomy house and the gray, rocky lakeside exteriors set a depressing mood that made me wonder how Jill ever found any happiness living there. Everything about the production design is overwhelmingly bleak, with somber colors in furnishings and fashion and dim lighting making it essentially a black-and-white film.
Krieps is typically impressive, crafting a soulful and empathetic character. Montgomery (Stranger Things) has flashes of emotive impact, but is a bit out of his depth paired with the powerhouse Krieps. Their shared trauma never really adds up to much, making for a fairly dull, meditative snooze only aided by Krieps’ masterful performance.
The DVD is a no-frills affair, with the 1.66:1 aspect ratio film presented with Dolby 5.1 surround but no bonus features. Compression artifacts abound, especially pronounced in the film’s plentiful dark areas. Blu-ray would likely improve the overall murkiness, but for now, DVD is the only available physical format.
