Separation is a 2021 horror drama directed by William Brent Bell, from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun. It tells the story of 8-year-old Jenny who is constantly caught in the middle of the feuding between her lawyer mother Maggie and artist father Jeff. She leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by puppets called “Grisly Kin”, which are based on the works of her father. When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life.
The cast includes Rupert Friend, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Violet McGraw, Simon Quarterman, and Brian Cox.
Separation released in theaters on April 30th from Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment.
THE GOOD
First of all, Separation is rated R which seems to be oddly rare for horror movies these days. Secondly it doesn’t rely on jump scares, and for me that’s huge. I mean I enjoy a good jump scare as much as the next person, but at the end of the day they are cheap scares. Instead for the most part they take the less is more approach, having the monster barely creeping out from the shadows and that is what I like to see. Plus with a premise essentially built around creepy dolls, what’s not to love about that? The horror elements used were all pretty solid all things considered. From the genuinely creepy dolls reminiscent of Puppet Master, to the scary clown type figures, it was more than enough to scare your average horror fan.
The premise of the film blurred the lines of reality and some other “darkness” allowing for a unique graphic novel feel at times which I liked. Separation also has a much deeper meaning than you’d expect, and serves as more of a cautionary tale for parents.
Brian Cox is great in this movie, but I mean he’s great in pretty much anything he is in. What I thought was funny about his role is he basically plays his Succession character, like to a tee. If this was a side story during the new season of Succession, he wouldn’t miss a beat. Maybe he filmed his scenes during his lunch breaks. I also really liked Violet McGraw, she was very convincing and I think she has a bright future ahead of her.
THE BAD
Separation has plenty to pick apart. My two biggest issues were the script and the acting, two extremely important elements of any successful movie. The script felt rushed from the start, and didn’t allow the characters or the story itself to build much of a foundation. You never feel truly invested or sympathetic to any of the characters really, except the daughter of course. I just felt like emotional investment was critical here and they definitely missed the mark on it.
The acting was shaky pretty much throughout for one reason or another, but most glaring was Rupert Friend who I expected more from. I wouldn’t consider him to be an A-list actor but I still expected more from a recognizable name. He wasn’t awful, just not convincing with his character which proved to be a lasting issue.
THE VERDICT
If you struggle with attics full of creepy dolls or clowns crawling around looking like the sister from Pet Sematary, Separation starring Rupert Friend and Brian Cox will have you pulling the blanket up over your eyes more times than you’ll want to admit. Is it an instant horror classic? Unfortunately not even close, but it’s better than some of this other horror garbage that keeps getting released. The biggest thing missing is a sense of substance to help the family drama based narrative, or even just what felt more like a finished product. With a polished script and a few more hours with the acting coaches we may have had a fresh tomato on our hands, or at least one you’d still be willing to put on a sandwich.
TED TAKES RATING - 5.5/10
Separation is now playing only in theaters. Check out the trailer below.