Keeper is the latest film in Osgood Perkins filmography that is slowly moving him up the ranks to become one of the most notable horror directors in the modern age. While the reviews on his work are mixed, it’s hard to deny the revitalised energy he’s bringing into this genre.
Celebrating their first anniversary together as a couple, Liz (Tatiana Maslany), an artist, and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland), a doctor, take a trip to his remote cabin in the woods. But despite the wholesome milestone celebration, the couple feel disingenuous to each other. Liz’s doubt in the relationship comes from her fear that he’s hiding a secret marriage and kids, and her reluctance and lack of enthusiasm in embarking on getaway is fuelled by her doubts. Malcolm doesn’t necessarily help his case either; being a man who can only be described as plain, mysterious, and aloof.
From the moment they walk into the doors of the cabin, there is something noticeably off; strange noises, peculiar occurrences with what seems to be people, and things around the home, and a general sense of unnerving emptiness. But when Malcolm is called into an emergency at the hospital, his absence only intensifies these events, where Liz experiences supernatural terrors that almost drive her into insanity.
The film itself is visually striking – which is no surprise as Perkins has always been able to build an environment that feels uncanny and alluring. And while there are many beautiful yet disorientating shots that set the scene and create a truly eerie atmosphere that’ll get your heart racing, the movie lacks a clear throughline in the story itself. It’s not to say that a clear cut story necessarily makes a film good per se, as surreal and nonsensical storytelling has currently been on the rise in this era of horror films, but the film is missing elements that make audiences want to care about these people. Maybe this is due to Perkins not being directly involved in the writing for this film, but it feels like there was too little context given prior to the big reveal.
There were a lot of slower moments and scares that were no doubt anxiety inducing, but until the reveal of who and what Malcolm was, it felt like it took too long to get there. The first hour of the film really just felt like a series of disconnected vignettes of different terrifying encounters spliced into the movie that didn’t feel like it meant anything to the plot until the end; overwhelmingly revealing everything almost all at once. It felt random and more like a showreel of their best scary moments. Although, I have to give props to the amazing design of the monsters and creatures in the film – they were genuinely horrifying.
The incredible performances from Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland, who also serve as the executive and co-executive producers, were almost the saving grace of the film; bringing as much life and emotion as they could into what could easily be a lackluster movie. Their chemistry, or lack of, made you believe in the strange energy between what is supposed to be a loving couple, setting the tone of the movie from the very beginning.
Keeper was no doubt deeply unsettling and Perkins has a remarkable way of creating a sense of unease that feels like it’s in the room with you as you watch. But the pacing of the film was slow and felt so detached from the climax of the film, it was ultimately a let down.
