An ex-soldier, living homeless in London, is offered a place to stay at a decaying house inhabited by a young woman and her dying mother. As he starts to fall for her, he cannot ignore his s... Read allAn ex-soldier, living homeless in London, is offered a place to stay at a decaying house inhabited by a young woman and her dying mother. As he starts to fall for her, he cannot ignore his suspicion that something sinister is going on.An ex-soldier, living homeless in London, is offered a place to stay at a decaying house inhabited by a young woman and her dying mother. As he starts to fall for her, he cannot ignore his suspicion that something sinister is going on.
- Awards
- 9 nominations total
Joey Akubeze
- Labourer
- (as Joseph Akubeze)
Charlotte Chiew
- Woman in Labour
- (as Charlote Chiew)
William E. Lester
- Mother
- (voice)
- (as William Lester)
Tom Bennett
- Battle-Worn Soldier
- (uncredited)
Louis Jay Jordan
- Squatter
- (uncredited)
Paul O'Kelly
- Paul Builder
- (uncredited)
Amanda Quach
- Girl at the Pub
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The title says it all. The acting was good, I think the story could have been more interesting, but the low-energy, life-support pace of this movie had me half asleep by the end.
I appreciate some art-house, slow-burn movies, but this one fell short.
[4/10]
I appreciate some art-house, slow-burn movies, but this one fell short.
[4/10]
An abstract horror mostly. Little more context relating the two story lines would be good but it's visually stunning and gets more messed up right to the end. Some of the imagery will be stuck in my head for a while and it's been a long time since a film has done that. Disturbing stuff.
This movie had all the elements to hold attention and fulfill its mission. And to some extent it holds, so much that I went to the end. I don't even know why. Perhaps out of curiosity or because I had some hope of improvement. But unfortunately for some reason it never takes off. It's not entirely bad, but it's never good.
It's too slow. No scares. Only a few disgusting scenes, some unnecessary. It bets a lot on the cast, but this one is lazy, with the exception of the dedicated Alec Secareanu. So, this way the film doesn't progress. The script itself is unsustainable. Superficially there is an interesting idea, but poorly executed.
Watch at your own risk, but only super fans of the genre will give it high rates.
Guys...stop. Having a bunch of well-shot footage of forests and obnoxious experimental music doesn't make something a high quality horror film on par with things like Hereditary and The Lighthouse. If that surface level stuff is all you think it takes to make a movie intelligent and masterfully crafted, sorry, but you're not as clever as you're trying to make yourselves sound.
There are many things that directors like Aster and Eggers do that make their movies rise far above ones like this, but let me just pick one, and arguably the most important one, THE PERFORMANCES OF THE CHARACTERS. You have to be absolutely kidding me if you're going to sit there trying to tell me that the actors in Amulet were anywhere close to well-directed, maximum effort performances from people like Willem Dafoe and Toni Collette. They aren't just on different floors, they're not even in the same building.
I've seen much, much worse than Amulet, and I wouldn't even go as far as to call it a bad film, but I can't think of a single moment where Tomas or Magda made me think "wow, what a great performance". Hell, I can't even think of one that made me care about either of them. They're dreary characters in a dreary setting acting out dreary motions to fill up time until the entire effects budget is blown in the last 10 minutes, and yes, the director is obviously TRYING to convey something poignant with this unconventional story, but they just aren't selling it.
"Weird + good cinematography" does not automatically equal a great film.
"Having an artistic vision + good intentions" does not automatically equal a great film.
It's a great effort, but it's not a great film. Wait five years to see if anyone's still talking about it, or even remembers that it existed, if you're still unsure about that.
There are many things that directors like Aster and Eggers do that make their movies rise far above ones like this, but let me just pick one, and arguably the most important one, THE PERFORMANCES OF THE CHARACTERS. You have to be absolutely kidding me if you're going to sit there trying to tell me that the actors in Amulet were anywhere close to well-directed, maximum effort performances from people like Willem Dafoe and Toni Collette. They aren't just on different floors, they're not even in the same building.
I've seen much, much worse than Amulet, and I wouldn't even go as far as to call it a bad film, but I can't think of a single moment where Tomas or Magda made me think "wow, what a great performance". Hell, I can't even think of one that made me care about either of them. They're dreary characters in a dreary setting acting out dreary motions to fill up time until the entire effects budget is blown in the last 10 minutes, and yes, the director is obviously TRYING to convey something poignant with this unconventional story, but they just aren't selling it.
"Weird + good cinematography" does not automatically equal a great film.
"Having an artistic vision + good intentions" does not automatically equal a great film.
It's a great effort, but it's not a great film. Wait five years to see if anyone's still talking about it, or even remembers that it existed, if you're still unsure about that.
Amulet: The eponymous amulet/figurine is found by Tomaz (Alec Secareanu) in a forest in the Balkans during a war. Tomaz has frequent nightmares regarding those times, he was a soldier and while he avoided most of the ethnic cleansing he carries guilt for some acts he committed. Now in London his work as a day labour only allows him to live in a squat. Losing even these digs he encounters an enigmatic nun (Imelda Staunton) who asks him to stay with a young woman, Magda (Carla Juri) who is looking after her mother in a decrepit house. He reluctantly agrees but starts to develop a relationship with Magda. The "Mother" in the attic is strange, wails, bites Magda.
This is a dark tale of demons, possession, ancient guardians, revenge, with frightening even nauseating scenes of horror. Some of the worst horror though is in the flashbacks to the Balkans war, much of it is between the lines, as the ethnic cleansing is suggested rather than shown. The mundane is sometimes more disturbing than the mondo. The amulet plays a part in this but you'll have to watch the full film to understand it as the narrative unfolds. There are a few plot twists which cannot be revealed but they do allow you to view events in a new light. This film is both perplexing and unsettling, very much for adults who are not faint of heart or squeamish. Written and Directed by Romola Garai 8/10.
This is a dark tale of demons, possession, ancient guardians, revenge, with frightening even nauseating scenes of horror. Some of the worst horror though is in the flashbacks to the Balkans war, much of it is between the lines, as the ethnic cleansing is suggested rather than shown. The mundane is sometimes more disturbing than the mondo. The amulet plays a part in this but you'll have to watch the full film to understand it as the narrative unfolds. There are a few plot twists which cannot be revealed but they do allow you to view events in a new light. This film is both perplexing and unsettling, very much for adults who are not faint of heart or squeamish. Written and Directed by Romola Garai 8/10.
Did you know
- TriviaFeature length directorial debut of Romola Garai.
- Quotes
Sister Claire: No Master will let its slave outlive it.
- Crazy creditsEnd credits scroll downwards.
- SoundtracksFist, Teeth, Money
Written by Channy Leaneagh (as Channy Moon Leaneagh) and Ryan Olson
Performed by Poliça
Published by 2 Packs of Camel Wides and This Is Poliça
Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd
Licensed courtesy of Memphis Industries Ltd
- How long is Amulet?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $53,019
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2:1
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