Strange occurrences centre around two sisters in Hostile. Meredith Langston (Shelley Ward) has recently adopted sisters Emilie (Julie Venturelli) and Anna (Luna Belan). Shortly after moving into their new home, the three experience strange occurrences, which includes seeing a man around the house. Meredith calls in reporters Chloé (Anatolia Allieis) and Chris (Morgan Hec) to stay with the girls for two weeks for their show SOS Adoption. This begins a terrifying sequence of events.
Hostile is the debut feature film by 14 year old French director Nathan Ambrosioni. This in itself can be seen as an achievement, especially since the film does not feel at all like it is directed by a teenager. If anything, it is apparent that Ambrosioni is a fan of the horror genre and Hostile is a mix of different types of films in the genre, including haunted house and demonic possession films. Something strange is definitely going on with the sisters of Emilie and Anna, who are always talking about having to do the things that “he” tells them to do, which includes learning how to kill.
Hostile can probably be best described as a partial found footage film, as it features footage shot by the two news reporters or paranormal investigators Jessica (Magali Gouyon) and Daniel (Julien Croquet). The film switches back between the found footage and a conventionally shot narrative, before settling on the former for the final act. The film does play a bit with viewer expectation and once you are sure where it is going to go, the plot goes off in another direction. Altogether, Hostile is a well-done first effort by a 14 year old Nathan Ambrosioni.
★ ★ ★ ★ | LIKED IT
Screenings:
- Tue, Aug 4, 7:30 PM – J.A. De Seve Theatre
