‘The Surrender’ SXSW Review – A Visceral, Gnarly Journey Through Grief

Just when a horror trend or theme feels tired and played out, an emerging filmmaker breathes exhilarating new life into it. That’s the case with The Surrender, the feature debut by writer/director Julia Max. The well trodden exploration of grief in horror gets an exhilarating wakeup call in the form of visceral, violent horror when an already fraught mother-daughter relationship gets tested by loss then the dark occult forces it exposes them to. 

Max employs the often mishandled tactic of giving a glimpse of the future before rewinding to the beginning of the story, but it’s forgiven here thanks to the evocative and gnarly yet brief tease of the hellish style of horror ahead. It raises questions without answers before settling in to introduce the perpetually anxious Megan (Colby Minifie) and her frictional relationship with icy mom Barbara (Kate Burton) as they spend nearly every waking moment caring for the family’s dying patriarch. The stresses of caregiving and looming loss compound their somewhat estrangement and highlight their drastically opposite personalities, which comes into clearer focus when Barbara takes drastic measures to bring her husband back from the dead.

Loosely in the vein of A Dark Song, The Surrender refers to its elaborate occult ritual meant to undo death’s handiwork and relieve profound grief. The connections stop there, though, as Max is more interested in exploring the fractured central relationship and how death has a unique way of exposing sides to our loved ones that we never saw before. The intricate and extremely dangerous ritual, led by an intimidating, larger than life character referred to only as The Man (Neil Sandilands), prompts complete compliance that will prove the ultimate test for mom and daughter.

It’s also the ritual itself and where that leads that yields a visceral horror experience. Russell FX brings the bloodletting and violence, and hellish visions from another realm. The Surrender excites on visuals alone, but Max has a knack for scarecrafting as well. While the filmmaker opts for gruesome visuals and an oppressive sense of foreboding, she also injects a rather masterful jump scare so potent and unexpected that it instantly instills excitment for what’s ahead.

The Surrender also smartly never bothers to overexplain its hand. The ritual itself, a patchwork of a variety of cultural influences, is known only to The Man, leaving mom and daughter firmly trapped by his lead. Even the nature of their grief isn’t overly explored; the gamut of emotions and revelations about the family patriarch feels authentic to those who have ever lost a loved one to illness. Death raises so many questions that will never be answered, that can’t be answered, even as those left behind try as they might to make sense of it all. Instead of trying, Max captures the authenticity of coming to terms with the untidy nature of loss and finding the acceptance necessary to move forward. It lends a dual poignancy to the film’s title.

Minifie makes for a formidable lead, capturing the empathetic anxiousness of Megan even as she futiley tries to dissuade her unmovable mother from embarking on a series of life altering, irrevocable decisions. Burton’s steely nerve as Barbara, a devout believer makes for a perfect counterpart. Their compelling, fraught relationship anchors a wild, breathtaking plunge into the pits of utter darkness, emotionally and physically. 

It’s a wholly unique vision of grief, filled with carnage and unspeakable horror that escalates at a steady clip. To see it interpreted in this way, a visceral, thrilling and high-stakes vision without ever dampening the complicated, messy, and unglamous nature of loss, marks Max as one to watch.

The Surrender made its world premiere at SXSW. Release info TBD.

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