Anyone Home? (2018) User Reviews

Yip it is one of those!

[omendata · 3/10 · 29 September 2019]

Yes an artsy horror-thriller or so it would like you to believe. In reality it is just a bit of a confused drama about bi-polar disease and its spiralling costs to mental health and family.

It is quite disturbing but not in a gratuitous way as I think the director is actually trying to make a film about mental illness and in that way it succeeds as it has a very slow and measured pacing but it really just becomes a bit of a weird exercise in experimental filming!

If you like your movies weird, disturbing and full of strange visual scenes with bleak and depressing settings then this may be for you. Whilst I did find it a bit tedious it does have a certain bleak and weird attraction but I doubt it will appeal to many viewers!

Can your feet reach the pedals?

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 9 December 2019]

Because of the housing decline, upscale developments are not being sold. To sell them, the realtors are bringing in qualified people to squat there as long as they keep the home in showroom condition. Camila Torres (Monique Gabriela Curnen ) who is extremely bipolar lands a position and moves in with her young son (Luke Ganalon). Camila's condition digresses to where her judgment is impaired beyond knowing right from wrong.

The film starts by drawing you in. After that, the plot becomes borderline entertainment.

Overstaying Your Welcome

[thesar-2 · 5/10 · 7 August 2021]

One of the few cases I'd ask for a longer movie. This had SUCH potential.

The absolute best part of this movie was the co-lead boy, Luke Ganalon. For such a young kid, he was incredible in his role. I know it's hard to direct kids to be good actors, but it wasn't until just now I found that he's been acting awhile. So that, explains that. (Also, he may or may not be 18, but looks between 9-13.)

A very close second great part of this was the concept. An apparent Bipolar/etc, down on her luck single mom of one is a drifter until she gets a job working to maintain a model house in BFE Arizona (Southeast corner of the State.) Technically, the house looks beautiful and well maintained, but for plot purposes, her job is to make it presentable for potential buyers.

Her son's job - and boy, it shouldn't be this way - is to make sure his mom takes her VERY NEEDED meds so she doesn't go psycho. Well, she says she does take them...

The rest of the small cast is excellent, including Monique Gabriela Curnen as said Mom, the always wonderful Kathy Baker as the Realtor and Jon Jon Briones as the stalker Store Owner. The setting is nice - and I'm a little biased. (I love the few/far between movies set in Arizona and this was a nice surprise since I didn't know that going in.) And most of the movie's set up is well done and suspenseful with the mother falling further and further into madness.

But, there were so many opened doors and one horrific ending, it reminded me of the ending(s) to Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. It just...ends. And badly.

There is enough to love in this movie, like the kid's performance and concept, but damn. They must've edited out or simply didn't shoot the scenes that could've made the last third comprehensible and satisfying.

***

Final Thoughts: As much praise as I had for the kid (by the way, it also helps I love his character's name in real life and I've actually never heard it used in a movie before: Jaime,) he had one of the weirdest props in this movie - aside from his unexplained usage of floaties in the desert. He ran around the Arizona desert in a thick robe IN SUMMER. I'm not even guessing at the time of year: they tell us this lasts through one summer. No way anyone could survive our heat in that robe.

Also, while trying to figure out how old this kid is, I believe he may have been 18, but just looked so much younger, I found out his net worth is $1.3 million for his career so far. For that money, yeah, I guess he better carry this feature.

Good Name

[payasoingenioso · 3/10 · 27 November 2020]

I like how the film earned its name.

The lead actress did great.

I would have appreciated more clarify and less obtuse artistic metaphors.

The most thrilling part would have been watching how she contained her husband.

Oh well.

Dreary but somewhat interesting film

[tikitim-76520 · 6/10 · 12 October 2021]

I really wanted to like this movie more than I probably did. I thought the photography and the acting for such a low budget film was quite good. I love the backdrop of the desert. I thought the director did a great job of capturing a sense of dread. The problem is the whole movie was dreary and it was hard to watch at times. It tried to be quirky and even comical in some places. However it just fell flat for me and was just sad. I understand what the director was trying to do and the commentary on mental illness. However life is tough enough and I don't really want to see 90 minutes of sadness and dreariness.

All he wanted was a dog.

[stattshimself · 9/10 · 11 April 2020]

This film is much better than "they" would have you believe. It is an artsy, yet bleak, deep-dive into the world of a crafty, bipolar single mother struggling to raise her son in a "stable" home environment. A smart and imaginative take on mental health, and the importance of adhering to one's prescribed pill schedule. Seriously. Some clever plot twists, and great performances by all involved. Almost passed on it based on the cumulative score, but glad I gave it a chance. Recommended.

A well done movie

[raiderfan-41228 · 7/10 · 11 February 2022]

I found the premise of this interesting enough to watch without looking at the reviews. Glad I did. This movie has a lot going for it. The sense of isolation is everywhere. The landscape almost becomes another character. The performances while limited to a few roles are very well done. There is something about this movie. Very hard to put my finger in but it works. Also hard to classify what genre it fits in. Much much better than a lot of fodder out there.

Great plot twists!

[gvida · 10/10 · 23 November 2019]

A gripping indie horror thriller with an unexpected ending and many twists and turns. This film is a jarring look at mental illness, single motherhood and the countless effects of the recession. Standout performances by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Kathy Baker and Hollywood bad guy Jasper Cole. I highly recommend this film!

Not what you think.

[ydimech · 10/10 · 4 October 2021]

This movie was fantastic. Super clever and had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. I was hesitant at first thinking it would be cheesy and campy but it proved to be anything but. Very smart and highly recommended.

Unexpected gem

[elisejsimpkins · 10/10 · 18 February 2024]

Picked this film to watch due to the description about mental health and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The acting was spectacular and so natural, it seemed almost like real life. Loved the setting, and the quiet shots inbetween.

Then my brain started analysing everything I saw along the way. For example, from the beginning straight away the question is "why does the child have to look after the mother?" There are clues scattered throughout as to what he remembers and little behavioral things that accumulate over time that eventually tell the viewer how big the problem really is. Its a perfect depiction of how little by little the problems build up and eventually escalate without interference.

It was all tied very well together and i also noted how the house that was being 'maintained' was constantly becoming more and more beautiful while the character's mind crumbled even further.

I also wondered if the whole thing was maybe the child's memory of what happened, or if they had both died in the end and that was why the 'white' scenes appeared. Specially when the lady enters the house at the very end and asks if anyone's home even though she saw her son go inside. There is also the reference to glitches a few times.

Overall i just thought this was a real piece of art and i could probably talk about it for a long time.