The Advent Calendar: Movie Review
Welcome back, lovely reader!
Now that I've finished my first one-shot Call of Cthulhu adventure, I have the time to resume blogging! If you haven't checked it out, you should definitely read my post about my experience writing that adventure and participating in the Storytelling Collective's workshop. Click here to read it!
But, without further ado, onto my review!
The Movie
The Advent Calendar (original title Le Calendrier) is a 2020 French horror film written and directed by Patrick Ridremont. Starring Eugénie Derouand, Honorine Magnier, and Clément Olivieri, the film focusses on an ex-dancer named Eva who is now confined to a wheelchair after an accident three years ago. She struggles in her day-to-day life embittered by what has happened to her.
Her friend, Sophie, visits for her birthday and gives Eva an old wooden antique advent calendar before Christmas. The calendar comes with rules she must follow and each window contains surprises that affect Eva in real life -- some good, some bad. Despite the terror and death that come with the calendar and the creature that lives inside it, Eva is tempted by the final prize it offers.
The Review
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this movie as much as I did! Just in time for the holidays, The Advent Calendar, starts off setting the scene of how miserable the main character is, right before her friend gives her the calendar. It made it more realistic for me that Eva would continue forward with opening the windows despite the freaky stuff that was happening. The creature design of "Ich" was excellently done and the movie doesn't rely too much on CGI, which I liked. It's a pet peeve of mine when horror movies use too much CGI and it just all looks so fake. I appreciate a movie that makes the effect to create an actual monster like this one did.
It also hit the right balance of gore and suspense, without going overboard. Regular readers will know that I am not a fan of gore porn films. I do feel the need to warn you though, there is a pet death in this movie. The actual death happens off scene but you will see the body.
The ending of the film was also very poignant and hit hard. I go into more below my spoiler line, so be careful going there if you haven't watched the film yet.
The Advent Calendar is definitely a film I would recommend this holiday season! Currently, at the time I'm writing this, it's a Shudder exclusive so you'll need that Amazon channel if you want to watch it.
9/10
x PLM
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
One thing I really appreciated about this movie was that fact that Eva's character is developed in a way that it makes sense why she would be willing to continue with the calendar's gruesome sacrifices. Right from the beginning, she is shown to be miserable with her life, unwilling to build new relationships, bullied at work and by people around her. Even her best friend, Sophie, (who is also the one who caused the accident that put Eva in a wheelchair) steals the first guy Eva seems interested in.
It made sense to me that she would then be willing to capitalize on the death happening all around her. Even going so far as to kill her dog. Especially because, she doesn't believe she has a choice about the last candy and reverting back to the start of the month (she learns about the last candy through the painting left by the blind painter who she visits and finds out has forgotten his entire experience with the calendar).
In the end, someone helps her realize that she doesn't have to eat the last candy, which would reset the month and all the deaths. She can choose to throw that candy away, remain able to walk, at the cost of all the sacrifices. The movie doesn't show us which she chose but I think she would have chosen to throw the candy away. After all, she was miserable being unable to walk or dance and most of the people who died (exception being her friend, father, dog, and boyfriend that she only just met) were people she didn't like.
The scene on the roof where Eva realizes that she has a choice, that she can keep her legs but it means the dead stay dead, and the agony she feels is such a powerful moment and well acted. I like that we don't see the decision she makes. It's left up in the air, up to the viewer to decide what choice they think Eva would have made.