I love a good psychological thriller/drama or horror film. They come in all shapes and sizes. The latest one I’ve had a chance to see is “Went Up The Hill” from director Samuel Van Grinsven, a New Zealand born Australian filmmaker. He has created quite the buzz around his sophomore feature film. It premiered at last year’s TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) to wide appeal. It’s now coming out in theaters for everyone to see what the big deal is. Now that I’ve seen it, I can honestly say it’s like nothing I’ve seen before.

Jack (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things) is a man who shows up at a funeral that takes place at a large modern home designed by the deceased, Elizabeth, whose funeral he’s at. While there, he is spotted by a woman, Helen (Sarah Peirsce), whose sister it was that passed away, tries to throw him out of the funeral because he wasn’t invited.  Or so she thought. Jill (Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread) called him and invited him to the service. After the funeral, the two of them started talking about the past and reminiscing. Until something very unexpected happens. They are haunted by an unknown presence.

This film had a few fascinating things about it that I was taken aback by. The first is the location and the beautiful cinematography. The location of the movie is set in New Zealand in winter. There is an iced over lake with a big majestic mountain in the background. I haven’t seen New Zealand this way on film before. Other scenes of long yellow grass blowing in the wind gave the film a gorgeous look. Even though the cinematography was of a darker tone, it played up on this wintery location quite a bit. It was perfect for the dark mood the story was focusing on. 

The second thing that I noticed about the movie was the score and music. There was a somber melancholy to the score. This was very well done regarding how it very much complimented the narrative. There was also some singing that reminded me of folk music in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The combination of both of these styles of music gave the film a different vibe but still dark as well. The director made sure the music played a big part in how those who are viewing the movie are feeling. I felt very sad while watching this story unfold, and the music helped with that.

There is a ghost element to this story that I won’t spoil, but it’s a very prevalent part of the narrative.  Movies that have ghost stories within them can be a bit hit or miss. Some of them are comedies like The Haunted Mansion or Casper, which aren’t meant to be taken seriously. Others like A Ghost Story are much more serious in tone. This film is more in the vein of A Ghost Story. It has a horror feel to it that can be quite jarring at times. It can also be a bit confusing as well. The director tried to make the ghost aspects of the story dark, sensual, and existential in nature. The audience will definitely be affected by these scenes. The actors play them very well within the context of the story.

Speaking of the actors. It’s mainly a two-hander between Montgomery and Krieps with a twist of the Ghost thrown in for good measure. Both of these actors are good at what they do. I’ve seen Montgomery in Stranger Things and The Power Rangers (2017), and I’ve liked his work. I haven’t seen him do such dramatic work as this before. He was perfectly cast opposite Kreips in this dark horror film. Krieps, on the other hand, has done a lot of different roles in her career, Corsage and Phantom Thread, among her best. She is able to bring gravitas to any role she plays. Here, she brought a darker element to her performance. The combination of her and Montgomery together is magic. I loved seeing them opposite one another. They brought out the best in each other in this film.

There is a back story to one or more of the characters in this movie. The back story plays a huge part in the motivations of those characters in particular. The audience has to try and piece together these aspects. The story can drag because of this. There was a slower, more deliberate pace to the story while certain things were being discussed. While watching the film, I was completely captivated by the subplot involving characters. I just wish the film didn’t drag as much while this stuff was coming to the light. That’s a problem with the script, but it’s a minor quibble I had. Mostly, everything worked for me.

Went Up A Hill is a dark psychological drama with very deep and somber elements to it. Everything from the score, cinematography, location, and performances played into that vibe. This film isn’t a happy one, that’s for sure. Right from the beginning, the director Grinsven sets the tone. He’s not messing around with this story. The Ghost aspect was well done. I haven’t seen a ghost story like this one before. Montgomery and Krieps were both excellent. I would like to see them together again soon in another film. The direction by Grinsven was first rate. He did a fantastic job in his sophomore outing. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen