The sheltered life of a family in a plague-ridden world is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger in Glasshouse. Bee (Jessica Alexander), Evie (Anja Taljaard), and Daisy (Kitty Harris) are three sisters living with their Mother (Adrienne Pearce) and brother Gabe (Brent Vermeulen) in a glass building, sheltering themselves from a dementia-inducing toxin called the Shred that is poisoning the air outside. Their solitude is interrupted by the arrival of an injured stranger (Hilton Pelser), whom Bee lets into the house despite the orders by her mother to never let a stranger into their sanctuary. This intrusion threatens to disrupt the family’s solitude, especially after it becomes apparent that there is not enough oxygen in the glasshouse to support them all.
Glasshouse is a dystopian thriller by South African filmmaker Kelsey Egan. The sisters of Bee, Evie, and Daisy live under a strict set of rules in the titular glasshouse, with them shooting any invaders and using their bodies to fertilize the plants that provide the family oxygen. The air in the world outside is poisoned with a toxin known as the Shred, which has already infected the sister’s younger brother Gabe, who is severely mentally disabled as a result. The arrival of the injured stranger causes friction among the sisters, especially after Bee starts believing him to be her lost love.
Very early on in Glasshouse, there is a magazine cover is shown with the headline “Can We Survive? The Age of Pandemics,” heavily suggesting that the story of the film is influenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the belief that staying at home is the safest place to be. The plot of Glasshouse is relatively straightforward, as it tells the basic story of the mysterious outsider who disrupts this family’s sheltered existence. However, the film does build to a very Twilight Zone-esque ending the completely refrains everything we have seen before, making this a film worth checking out.
Glasshouse is streaming as part of the virtual 2021 Fantasia Film Festival
Related Links
- Canadian Film Fest 2019: Honey Bee
- Toronto True Crime Film Festival: The Stranger
- The Dark Stranger
- Hot Docs 2017: Bee Nation
- Doctor Strange
Trailer for Glasshouse – Fantasia 2021
