8 Remains is a 2018 Gothic/ Supernatural movie about a young girl who becomes trapped in limbo after she is murdered by her boyfriend.
The story begins when a couple goes to spend a romantic weekend at this man’s castle. The young girl, named Talli (Maja-Celine Probst), is having a relationship with a much older man named Damien (Gregory B. Waldis). Unknown to Talli, Damien is a psychopath and murders her while they are having sex. Her soul then leaves her body but instead of spiriting away to be a typical movie ghost, she becomes stuck inside this purgatory-like environment that brings up painful memories she’s tried hard to suppress. Worse, she has no way of how to control it. Only Damien has that power and she’ll need to learn how to own it in order to escape.
The structure of this reminded me slightly of Michel Gondry‘s ethereal Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but with a much darker tone. Director Juliane Block and writer Laura Sommer are making a statement about how victims of abuse become trapped inside a vicious cycle themselves, as we learn that Talli had an abusive stepfather, a relationship that may have lead to a her time with an older man, Clearly, she’s longed to have the love and respect from a father figure that has been missing from her life.
This relationship not only caused problems with her mother but also her friends as well. There is a moment when Talli gets a phone call but Damien, as usual, manipulates her to not take it. It’s a moment that reveals how abuse is not always about physical violence. It’s also how to control someone to do what you want them to. The ultimate power. And she’s not alone. Damien has been controlling other women for years. Will Talli have the strength to finally fight back?
The actors in this all do a fine job and to the film’s credit, I was intrigued at how the story would play out. There’s solid mystery at its heart that had me guessing where it was all leading, though there really is no explanation at how Damien got these powers. One has to be fine with that to move on, and I am, though surely other may not be. Not everything has to have a reason for existing. However, I wanted this to have a few more suspenseful moments to give it greater suspense. Honestly, I would have been cheering more at the end if I saw the main character overcome a few more obstacles. Not for everyone, this is a satisfactory thriller.