Hannah (Hadley Robinson, Moxie) is a young woman working as a fashion designer. On the surface, things seem good. She has a great apartment, works with her bestie, Esther (Kauser Mohammed), and has Kaelin (Brandon Smith), a supportive boyfriend.
Underneath it all, Hannah suffers from intense self-doubt and starts to feel physically ill as a result of these buried emotions. One night, overwhelmed by her feelings, she gives birth (so to speak) to her inner monster.
This “appendage” thrives off of making Hannah believe the worst about herself and those around her, making her weak while gaining strength. Desperate for help, Hannah stumbles on a support group for others that share her dilemma. It’s here she meets Claudia (Emily Hampshire, Schitt’s Creek) and begins a new friendship based on this strange, shared experience. But, as the appendage’s words start to consume Hannah, it grows into something that could completely take over her life.
Originally a six-minute short film from writer/director Anna Zlokovic, Appendage explores the destructive abilities of self-doubt and anxiety by turning them into sinister little monsters. It’s absolutely absurd but also makes sense. So many times that inner voice seems like another being fighting to take over. In this way, the film makes its point, even if it is a bit on the nose. The grotesque nature of the appendage itself shows just how malignant these feelings can be. The imagery works well for this type of campy horror. The story, however, comes off a little too simple.
In expanding the short to a feature film, Zlokovic misses an opportunity to really dive deep into that inner turmoil with Hannah. There are moments where you see glimpses of the depth of Hannah’s pain, but they are short-lived. The story really begins to suffer toward the third act. Once the twist is revealed, things get a little messy, and the tone of the film shifts. This would be fine if the other characters had more to do. Unlike Hannah, her friends and family are stuck as one-dimensional characters. Hampshire and Mohammed do the best with what they’re given. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to make their characters more interesting.
Despite the wonkiness of the story and some incredibly cliched dialogue, the film itself is saved by a brilliant ending scene. It made me wish there were more moments within the film that carried the same level of brilliance. Overall, Appendage is fun, ridiculous, and very relatable, even though it’s not as well-constructed as the original short.
Appendage comes to Hulu later this year.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
No Comment! Be the first one.