Dominic Brunt is more commonly known to the British public for his work on Emmerdale where he plays Paddy. Outside of the soap world though, Brunt had spent the best part of the last ten years writing, directing, producing, and sometimes even starring in, his own films. For his latest project, Evie, Brunt has paired up with new filmmaker Jamie Lundy to tell a story of mental illness, trauma, and selkies.
Our story begins when the eponymous Evie is just a girl. We meet her as she plays on the beach with her mother, and brother Tony. This Evie is bright, vivacious, and curious, asking constant questions about everything. Then something happens while she’s off alone playing that sees a shift in her behaviour. Evie becomes withdrawn, violent, and after a family tragedy she finds herself separated from Tony. The acting from the young stars (played by Lundy’s daughter, Honey Lundy, and Brunt’s son, Danny-Lee Mitchell-Brunt) is fantastic; their introduction to this world draws the viewer in. Their performances are engaging and get Evie off to a great start. These opening scenes feature a lot of dark moments, Honey Lundy especially, gets some really intense moments on screen, but she handles them with a grace and maturity above her young years.
Soon after the set-up, years later, we meet an older version of Evie, now played by Holli Dempsey. The effects of the family tragedy clearly still weighs heavily on her, Evie barely passing as a semi-high-functioning alcoholic. She has a job and a best friend, but outside of that her life is a series of one night stands and a steady stream of bottles of wine. The young woman has clearly been adrift since being parted from Tony (played now by Jay Taylor) and so she is ecstatic when she manages to track him down. As the pair start to reconnect, monsters (bother figurative and literal) take hold once more. The older version of Evie and Tony do great work in continuing the foundations built by their younger counterparts.
The traditional horror aspects of Evie don’t reveal themselves until the final act, everything up until then focuses on a family torn apart and the after-effects that linger through time. This approach is welcome, as a jump scare laden affair would detract from the more naturalistic elements of the piece. It will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers, but does at the very least make for an alternate interpretation of what horror can be.
Filmed during the pandemic lockdown last year, Evie is a little rough around some edges, however the fact that Evie exists at all is a testament to the hard work of all involved. In terms of cinematography, the scenery is lush greens and stony greys, whilst the sound design intensifies the ocean sound of waves lapping, but it is the hard work of the core four cast that really sell the concept of the piece. Evie is an interesting collaboration that proves that two heads can sometimes be better than one.
Evie
Summary
The ‘horror’ is kept on the back-burner in this folksy sea-shanty story of mental illness and shattered family that is surprisingly effective.
Evie was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2021.
