“‘The Lodge’’s Mystery Is Undone by the Secrets That Inspire It”

It goes without saying that on the matter of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s new film, The Lodge, I am ambivalent. It’s lovely to look at; Riley Keough is terrific; Alicia Silverstone is superb; it’s moody. But it’s also frustratingly glib and I’m sort of tired of seeing these filmmakers do the same thing two movies in a row (particularly given that Goodnight Mommy did it well), and I also see a huge missed opportunity with not keeping Silverstone in the movie for longer. Spoiler, she fucking shoots herself in the first ten minutes.

It isn’t really a spoiler, it’s the plot’s precipitating event. The spoiler is the role she plays throughout the rest of the film. Suffice to say, I’d have liked The Lodge to go in her direction, which it teases before doing something else entirely (that is also entirely unsatisfying).

You can read my full review over at Paste Magazine.