Daytime is terrifying. Not many horror films capture that fact. The things that are meant get our hearts racing in cinema live in the shadows and strike unexpectedly in the evening. But the minute, day-to-day existence is more terrifying. Whether you realize it, the fears that internalize and metastasize are more often built from our daily experiences than a boogeyman hiding in the closet. “Model Home” — the debut feature from Patrick Cunningham — taps into these fears and manages to maintain a consistent sense of dread throughout.
In a strange, alternate present-day, an agency sells older model homes with no money down, no interest, and an incredibly cheap price. Slightly north of the border, Camila (Monique Gabriela Curnen) moves into a model home in the middle of nowhere with her son Jaime (Luke Ganalon). Camila suffers from bipolar disorder, and flashbacks tell us that the effects of her disorder caused a mishap at their previous residence that has pushed her and her son to wipe the slate clean. However, as the days go by and the isolation grows larger, Camila becomes convinced that she is better and does not need her medication, which ultimately spirals into a bizarre sequence of events.
There’s a lot of “movie” in “Model Home.” There’s psychological horror, dark comedy, some slasher elements, as well as a satire and social commentary. So much so, not everything sticks the landing. There’s a bit of thematic confusion underneath what is otherwise a fascinating film. The most obvious bent is tackling the housing crisis, and how brokers and realtors really might find a way to boost sales, even if it’s a small percentage and at the expense of someone susceptible to what is made clear in the film’s infomercials to be a Ponzi scheme. But what’s tricky is that there seems to a thread missing somewhere in relating this larger commentary with Camila’s mental illness. It might make more sense if the isolation of the area or the strangeness of the model home itself drove her to the heights the movie goes to (a la “The Shining”), but it’s clear that these issues that Camila deals with persisted before moving into the home. Because the two don’t seem mutually exclusive, it occasionally feels exploitative in the character’s illness, and for those who already have a stigma about bipolar disorder, this doesn’t feel like it helps matters.
Despite all that, Cunningham manages to rise above these self-created trappings with an assured hand over his vision and getting terrific work out of his actors. There’s a stillness to the cinematography and an eeriness amongst the slow, creeping dolly work that creates a strong sense of unease. The film is riddled with creepy imagery (mostly involving paper-mâché) that has a purpose instead of being creepy for creepy’s sake.
Curnen and Ganalon are great and believable as a mother and son. It’s often said that it’s difficult to get good child performances, and Ganalon not only holds his own, but he’s great at reacting to the situation and let us see the events unfold through his perspective. And Curnen makes her descent creepy, uncomfortably funny, and tragic. We buy into this rapport between the two, and seeing the cracks break makes it deeply sad. Kathy Baker also appears in a supporting role as their realtor and is perfect at delivering deadpan humor and an attitude of not caring. Maybe it’s because her most iconic role is “Edward Scissorhands,” but her mere presence gives the film that feeling of an anti-“Edward Scissorhands.” Where that film painted an idyllic, 50’s-style, white-picket fence suburbia populated by idiosyncratic tenants and pastel-colored houses, “Model Home” does just the opposite by painting everything as muted, plain, and abandoned.
“Model Home” has that first-film feel to it. Not from the standpoint that it’s amateurish or stylish for style’s sake (it’s the exact opposite of those two adjectives), but from the fact that it throws a lot of things at the wall, with decidedly mixed results. But more importantly, the things that do work — coupled with a unique and meticulous vision — make a large impression. If Cunningham streamlines his ideas for his sophomore film, it’s safe to say that we will likely be hearing more from this filmmaker in the near future. [B-]