New movie from the producers of Poor Things is a Gothic fairytale that pays homage to The Haunting of Hill House

by

In September, the horror unfolds at home. Despite being set in modern-day England and Ireland, the movie has a classic Gothic fairytale feel to it, honoring Shirley Jackson, the author of “The Haunting of Hill House,” in numerous ways.

According to the novel “Sisters” by Daisy Johnson, Ariane Labed is making her directorial debut for the movie. She is well recognized as an actor, having featured in films directed by her husband Yorgos Lanthimos, such as “The Lobster” and “Alps”. Additionally, she has acted in other projects like “Assassin’s Creed,” starring Michael Fassbender, and “Mary Magdalene,” alongside Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix.

In the story, September Says revolves around two teenage sisters, July (played by Mia Tharia) and September (Pascale Kann), who live a secluded life under their mother Sheela’s (Rakhee Thakrar from Sex Education) relatively lenient supervision. July is submissive and compliant, while September is bossy and sometimes cruel towards her sister. The title refers to a game they often play, similar to ‘Simon Says’, where September issues increasingly peculiar or risky commands to July for her amusement, starting with “September says…”. July’s devotion is tested as September pushes her to the brink, but she never gives in.

However, when September is expelled from school for cutting another girl’s hair, July encounters a sense of freedom for the first time – and finds herself unwilling to relinquish it once September returns to school.

A family affair

In the movie, the camera maintains an observational distance between the characters, July and September, throughout. High-angle, indoor shots create a sensation of being above the usual ceiling level, leaving us somewhat disoriented right from the start. Additionally, certain scenes are interjected with hauntingly lonely images that bear resemblance to Lanthimos’ earlier works like Dogtooth, such as September being forcefully fitted for a dress with a pin cushion in her mouth, or milk spilling on July’s bare feet on the kitchen floor. This recurring theme underscores the idea that only the sisters share an intimate understanding of each other, and we, the audience, are just as detached from their private lives as their classmates and mother.

The movie focuses not just on parent-child relationships, but delves deeper into a complex and intense sibling dynamic. It explores the struggle of finding one’s identity when confined by family ties, particularly in a dysfunctional relationship between adolescent sisters. At times, the mother, Sheela, expresses her confusion about how to guide them, despite appearing to raise them alone, as she asks, “Where did you learn this behavior from?” with a sense of despair. The film underscores the feeling of being trapped within one’s own family and the challenge of breaking free from that origin.

The movie divides into two distinct sections, separated by a tragic incident whose specifics are unknown until the film’s end, which serves as a boundary between reality and what could be considered a dream or nightmare for the characters. As July’s teacher reads early in the film, “No living creature can long exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are said to dream,” from The Haunting of Hill House. Characters July and September inhabit their own world, and disconnecting from reality is a means of survival for them in September Says. However, as the distinction between fantasy and real life becomes more distinct, it’s clear that this world is on a path to self-destruct.

Read More

2025-02-21 20:40