Director: Luna Carmoon
Maria (Lily-Beau Leach), a young girl and her mother Cynthia (Hayley Squires) are out late at night collecting treasure for their ‘catalogue of love’. At home, there is a lot more of this treasure. Cynthia’s constant elevated mood twinned with suffocating affection gives the viewer the confidence to think that Maria is living or enduring in her mother’s world.
After Cynthia has an accident in the home, Maria is sent to foster care, and subsequently remains there. Ten years later, she (Saura Lightfoot Leon) appears to be living a stable life with her foster mom Michelle (Samantha Spiro).
A few things happen to disrupt the equilibrium, she receives her mother’s ashes out of the blue. Her rebellious best friend Laraib, (Deba Hekmat) is sent away by her father. Finally, Michelle’s previous charge, Michael (Joseph Quinn) is coming to stay for a while. A catalyst of changes in quick succession starts to unsettle Maria.
You’re a funny little biscuit!
Michael has taken complete shine to Maria, and they get closer while engaging in questionable activities. If only it was that simple. Michael has a girlfriend, Leah (Ceara Coveney), and they’re expecting a baby, making all of his actions questionable. Maria starts to identify with objects connected to her past, which unleashes her repression, as she begins to recreate the catalogue of love she once created with her beloved mother.
I can smell a memory.
Michael is drawn into her world, as he participates in and reinforces some of her rituals. He believes that it is because of him that has made their world special, and for a while Maria lets him believe it. He doesn’t understand the significance at all, and frankly neither do I . Later, the illusion is inevitably shattered. A woman lays dying in the middle of road. Michael wants to get help for her, while Maria knows exactly what to do. She provides the coins required for Charon to escort the woman safely to her next destination, and the woman dies.
This film is an interestingly powerful exploration of grief that does not provide any answers, leaving the viewer a bit isolated. The last scenes are cathartic, perhaps, a little too clean (forgive the pun). The equilibrium has been restored, but unfortunately in my opinion it is these moments that are the most unbelievable despite the previous wtf moments.
Have you seen this film? I’d love to know. Leave a comment below!
Ronin Cinema 