Sebastian Silva’s “Magic Magic” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight category, implicating that this is a horror film. And it is – but only in the ways of the human psyche, of how we can be too self-absorbed and selfish to realize when life is becoming a horror for others.
Silva sets up “Magic Magic” with a serene, bright scene, his camera panning over a still ocean and gorgeous landscape. This is the calm before the storm, and we soon meet an unsure and nervous Alicia (played by Juno Temple) who has arrived in Chile in order to spend time with her friend, Sarah (Emily Browning). It is obvious from the outset however that Alicia has been feeling anxious for some time, but when Sarah leaves for personal reasons and convinces Alicia to continue on the trip, we soon begin to see signs of an even lonelier and more distressed young girl who has been left alone with strangers (Sarah’s boyfriend Agustin (Agustin Silva), his sister Barbara (Catalina Sandino Moreno) and friend Brink (Michael Cera).
A string of relatively mundane events – Barbara leaving a dying puppy on the side of the road, Alicia’s inability to speak Spanish reinforcing her loneliness, and Brink’s insistent teasing – agitate Alicia further, and as she becomes isolated and disconnected from her world around her, Silva reflects this in his choice of location, and the clever script and direction ensure that we are never quite certain if Alicia’s problems are in her mind or real – is Barbara really watching her read? Are the birds getting louder? After finally getting in contact with Sarah, Alicia cries out, “These people are sadists, Sarah!”, and Sarah’s response is to exclaim, “These people are my friends!” – so beginning Alicia’s descend into further madness.
Juno Temple impressed with a haunting performance, bringing a vulnerability and honesty to Alicia as she goes from fragile to mesmerisingly paranoid, and Emily Browning’s small but important supporting role proved again that she is an actress is desperate need of a break out lead role. But it is Michael Cera who showcases something new in “Magic Magic”. With solid comedy roles under his belt, Cera’s Brink is a darkly immature, awkward young man who, unsettingly, has no idea of the severe consequences his innocent actions can cause, and Cera plays him first with a wicked glint in his eye before turning in a considered performance as Brink realises the severity of Alicia’s situation.
The film’s title, “Magic Magic” comes into play for the last act, as Alicia becomes uncontrollable and Sarah, Agustin and Brink take her to see a machi shaman, a role within the Mapuche tribe who perform ceremonies for curing disease and warding off evil. It is here where the film becomes unsure of itself, and the film ends, disappointly, at an expected conclusion, but Silva has crafted a mostly nuanced and thought-provoking film, and with the help of Temple and Cera has placed on screen the horrors of the mind that we all fear.
B
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