Originally shot in 2018 over a brief period of 19 days, Repossession definitely has a sense of urgency about it. The genre-bending horror movie is stylistically void of much color - other than blues and grays - yet there is a hyper-realistic robustness kicking about in its guts as a maleficent force from the past rears its ugly head.
This is what happens when 50-year-old Jim (Gerald Chew, Apprentice) tries to hide his recent job loss from his wife, Linda (Amy J Cheng, Crazy Rich Asians) and his daughter, Ashley (Rachel Wan), who is proudly studying to become a teacher. He is ashamed that he has failed his family and friends in the status-charged environment of Singapore. Even the advice from an old friend, Vinod (Sivakumar Palakrishnan) falls on deaf ears.
With nowhere to turn, he finds himself clinging to the material possessions of his past, equating them to the success that seems to elude him now. So much for dreams, you know? But it goes deeper than that. Much deeper and so much darker still.
Jim does not have the perfect, well-constructed life anymore. He might have been with this company for 25-years, but it means nothing now. So much for the high-rise condo, the pool, the in-house housekeeper, and everything that his wife has planned for the needy kids in the area. It is all falling apart and, as is so often the case, Jim is unraveling as the bills and the pressure starts to mount.
This is the stage for the psychological tale of terror which is about to ensnare the audience. You say you want demonic possession? This film has that, too, as Jim’s societal fears (he’s no good in the modern job market) turn into tortured terrors that add to the slow burn atmosphere of this eastern horror flick. Are we dealing with the real supernatural or is it all the slippery slope of one man’s absolute failure to navigate a sudden and unexpected bout of bad luck?
Maybe it doesn’t always work, but the film is intriguing with it what it has to say about failure and success and the pressure we put on ourselves.
Directed by Goh Ming Siu and Scott C. Hillyard, Repossession is chock full of twists and mental tortures as past traumas return, dark figures form, and voices seem to taunt Jim in the wake of his sudden downward trajectory. Repossession is a mental twist of a horror film. It is wild, atmospheric, and completely on point with its haunting poetry as suspense becomes slanted and extreme.
What was it that Tom Petty used to sing? "Breakdown, go ahead and give it to me!" Well, yeah. Jim’s fate in this movie is a lot like that line and he gets it good. Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight are set to release Repossession on digital December 21.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 96 mins
Director: Mark Frost, Daniel F. Bacaner
Writer: Mark Frost, Daniel F. Bacaner
Cast: Gerald Chew; Amy Cheng; Sivakumar Palakrishnan
Genre: Horror | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight
Official Site:
Release Date: May 10, 2019
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: December 21, 2021.
Synopsis: From directors Goh Ming Siu and Scott C.Hillyard, the provocative horror-thriller fixes on 50-year-old Jim who has constructed a perfect life in the world’s most expensive city. When he is unexpectedly laid off, he desperately clings onto the symbols of his success, while wrestling with resurfacing demons from his past.
