Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018
Images from the Internet
Inheritance
Written and directed by Tyler
Savage
Portola
Films / Other Brother
92
minutes, 2017
https://www.facebook.com/INH.film/
Taken
loosely, the term inheritance can be more than merely objects; it can be
inherent within a group or liniage. This film nicely plays with a variety these
extrapolated terms.
Tyler
Savage, in his first full-length feature, uses what he has learned so far and
presents a picture that is a fine mix of storytelling and artistic endeavor,
without ever going into the opaque; in other words, he doesn’t “talk” over the
heads of his audience, but at the same time doesn’t talk down to them/us,
either.
 |
| Chase Joliet, Jake Carpenter |
A
construction worker/contractor named Ryan (Chase Joliet), who believed he was an
orphan since childhood, quite unexpectedly receives a notice that he’s now the
heir to his recently deceased biological father’s property. It’s a beautiful beach
house facing the Pacific, just outside a small town in California. He is also informed
that it is worth more than a couple of mil. Unsure of whether he will sell, he
brings along his recently pregnant girlfriend, Isi (the lovely Sara Montez, who
sports some wickedly sculpted eyebrows) to check it out. Though I thought her
character was too physically absent through parts, I understand why: to see the
changes in her partner. Besides, she’s more excited about the coming kid than
he seems to be… awwwwwkawrrrrrd.
Not long
after they lay down their bones to adjust to the place, weird things begin to
perk. Well, to him anyway, both in the living and the… unknown. The first 20
minutes is a bit slow paced, and not much has happened other than some odd behaviors
of others, such as the store clerk (Alex Dobrenko) who’s sweet but ungainly
(and obviously develops a crush on Isi), that pesky real estate agent that’s the
equivalent of an ambulance chasing lawyer (Dale Dickey; many times the real
estate agent is a forward scout for whatever strangeness is afoot, but I’m not
saying if she is or not), the next door neighbor (Krisha Fairchild) who spies
on them, and a cousin (Drew Powell) who is just… ugh; there is, though, a mild jump scare or two.
While this
story does delve into the possible supernatural, this is definitely dips into
the psychological thriller genre (is it
all in Ryan’s head?: an old but effective trope), arguably more than the
horror. With the possibilities of ghosts we begin to wonder about the cause of
Ryan’s descent into… (cue spooky Theremin sound).
There’s a
little bit Amityville house in the effect on Ryan, a touch of Overlook Hotel with
negative influences of what went on earlier, and perhaps even a touch of the
first season of American Horror Story. Or,
as I said before, is it all in his head? For example, many of those he sees
from the past, such as his father (Tim Abel) or grandfather (Jake Carpenter),
occur after he sees photographs of them. So which one is it? Again, I ain’t
tellin’. Just know even though it’s a bit derivative, as is 99 percent of all
cinema, it tells a good story with some nice touches to keep the viewer
interested.
 |
| Beautiful cinematography |
There is
some absolutely beautiful cinematography here. For example, in the first third,
we get to enjoy some close-up shots leaning towards the golden tone, such as amber
alcohol being poured into a glass followed by the sunset light on the house, eggs
frying in a pan, or Ryan’s hand caressing Isi’s bare belly. In other sections,
there is more of a blue tone, such as moonlight on faces. It’s all quite
luxurious, and fortunately doesn’t take one out of the moment, but rather links
one scene to the next.
Speaking
of being taken out of a scene, if you will offer me a moment of
self-indulgence: my biggest distraction early on was when Ryan was contemplatively
rummaging through a garage and comes across a box of old LPs, and for the next
few minutes I got lost wondering what were those albums. Fortunately, we get to
hear some of the music as that box becomes part of the story.
 |
| Sara Montez, Alex Dobrenko |
One
interesting aspect of the film that really drew my attention and I would have
been pleased if it had been a stronger focus – even though it’s kind of a
backbone of the motif – is the historical mistreatment of the Indigenous people
by the white (especially male for several reasons) settlers, that is obviously
continuing.
For me,
the film’s one drawback is its length, as it could have been cut down some
through repetition and going beyond where it needs to, to establish the scene’s
motive. For example, there is a dinner conversation between Ryan and his sister
that is (purposefully) uncomfortable at best. This could easily have been
shorter – we get it, they don’t get along.
Don’t get
me wrong, it’s not like this is a bunch of padding with some story, it’s quite
the other way around. Savage tells a good tale that is engaging, even with an
ending that I kinda saw coming in some way in an aha moment about a third way through after I had enough information;
and even so, the film kept my interest for a number of reasons.
For
example, the cast is quite good. Joliet is in most scenes, and carries the film
with just the right amount of sullenness, anger, and fear, without playing it over
the top (as did James Brolin in Amityville
Horror, or especially Jack Nicolson in The
Shining – both actors I admire). Montez shines enough to not fall into
Joliet’s shadow. Actually, as far as presence, the entire cast holds their own.
There are
few scenes of violence, which of course make them a bit more unsettling for
their unexpected nature, and while there are a few steamy scenes, no real
nudity. Again, it’s not that kind of film, as it’s more story based than the biff-bang-boom of the day. Honestly, the
film is better for it.
For a
first full lengther (yes, I know it’s not a word, but should be), Savage show
some oomph, and I look forward to
seeing his growth, especially if this is only the ground floor.
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