The 2017 film Gnaw features a familiar set up – young woman moves into a new apartment in an attempt to escape from her past. Cue horror. It’s a premise that’s been done a lot, with various different threats and backstories (the most common being the abusive partner). Often the threat is other people (for example, 1BR and Open 24 Hours) or paranormal/demonic. This was the first film that I’ve seen which featured a more mythological adversary.
Gnaw is very much a slow burn of a film with the first hour dedicated to the slowly degrading mental state of our protagonist, Jennifer, played by Penelope Mitchell in a solid performance. She captures a mixture of vulnerability and determination as Jennifer sets out to start a new life, dogged by her abusive ex-husband and her insecurities. When she starts waking up with lesions on her skin, Mitchell really kicks her performance into high gear as sleep deprivation and obsessive itching push her further from normality. This is where the film excels. The steady build draws the viewer in and its easy to find yourself clawing at your own skin as the marks on Jennifer’s skin build.
2017 Unreal Media
The other characters in the film are fairly nondescript and some seem outright pointless (a random stoner who lives in the apartment complex for example. He has one line. About a tortoise). I did like the relationship between Jennifer and her older neighbour Terry. Their scenes were sweet but didn’t distract from the trouble that was growing.
The root of said trouble, revealed after an hour, wasn’t as strong as the build and was rather a mixed bag overall. I found the idea interesting, a fairy type creature that can only move when unobserved (similar to the weeping angels of Doctor Who) and who gnaws at your flesh whenever you sleep. The creature itself wasn’t great when on camera. It sort of looked like a drugged out version of the pixies in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. However, it did lead to some visually interesting moments, one in particular being when it was placed in a microwave and froze every time the turntable faced the window, only to flip to a hummingbird like state of activity when it turned away.
2017 Unreal Media
The main flaw in the film is the ending which I have a lot of questions about. After triggering a confrontation with the tiny monster and showing that she won’t be pushed around by it the monster… gives up? Maybe? It’s unclear if it is making a tactical retreat or if its learned not to mess with Jennifer after being put in a microwave, a disposal and beaten many many times (seemingly without any actual impact). What follows is similarly unclear. Jennifer contacts her ex and says she wants to return home, sending some suitcases of her clothes with him while she remains to pack up her apartment. Its not made clear if she actually intends to go back or if she’s just tricking him in order to get the flying gremlin reject into his house (that part works). If she is intending to return, that’s… rather problematic even if she can unleash her tiny hummingbird hellspawn on him. And if she’s not… he’s either going to send her stuff back, parasite included, or he’ll become even more erratic after being driven to near insanity from sleep deprivation. None of these endings are positive for Jennifer and it left the movie feeling a little hollow. There’s no resolution. I don’t mind open ended films but usually when the evil is sent somewhere else there’s not the nagging thought that everything is going to be undone after the credits roll.
Overall it is a decent film, I just wish it had managed to stick the landing a bit better.