Absentia means “in the absence” in Latin, something that you could have probably guessed anyway. As the title of this particular movie, it refers specifically to the disappearance of a man and the mess that has been left for his disconsolate wife (Tricia, played by Courtney Bell) to deal with. So many years have passed and yet she still goes out to change the “missing” posters around the neighbourhood. Things may improve slightly when the time limit is reached and her husband can finally be declared legally dead. That time is imminent and Tricia tries to deal with the adjustment while also taking in her wayward sister (Callie, played by Katie Parker). Tricia’s feelings are further confused by the fact that she’s grown very close to a detective (Dave Levine) that she met because of the disappearance. But Tricia’s husband is not the only person to have disappeared from the area. The place has quite a history and Callie starts to wonder just what has been happening.
With an interesting concept that may seem slightly familiar to fans of Neil Gaiman (there are very superficial similarities to one of his great tales but I won’t spoil anything by naming the title), Absentia takes time and effort to set up its main ideas, get viewers intrigued and then begin to reveal the path that will lead all the way to the final act.
Writer-director Mike Flanagan does a very good job with his limited resources (there are even some good, subtle, special effects shots that work very well). While the film may seem a little slow at first, it’s just patiently building up characters and details that soon start delivering dividends in the second half.
Katie Parker is very good as Callie, a young woman who has made a number of mistakes and is trying to move on with her life, while Courtney Bell is just fine as Tricia, the big sister who wants to help Callie but also needs a lot of help in return, even if it’s not that obvious to casual onlookers. Dave Levine does okay as the detective trying to help in more than just a professional capacity and Morgan Peter Brown gives a great performance and Justin Gordon and James Flanagan do acceptable work. Doug Jones also has a small role and he is as good as he usually is.
There’s not really anything here to blow you away but there’s a nice tightrope act on display – a walk between drama and emotional turmoil that you can easily identify with and potential standard horror fare – that makes this a mature and intelligent film deserving of your time.
Absentia will be released onto DVD on 9th July 2012 and I’d encourage fans of intelligent horror not to miss it.
WRITER/DIRECTOR: MIKE FLANAGAN
STARS: KATIE PARKER, COURTNEY BELL, DAVE LEVINE, MORGAN PETER BROWN, JUSTIN GORDON, JAMES FLANAGAN, DOUG JONES
RUNTIME: 87 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
Film Rating: 
