"THE FRONT ROOM" - MOVIE REVIEW / PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR MOVIE

 

 

The Front Room marks the feature film debut of the Eggers Brothers, who wrote and directed this psychological horror based on Susan Hill’s 2016 short story of the same name. Movie released in the United States on September 6, 2024, features an ensemble cast that includes Brandy, Kathryn Hunter, Andrew Burnap, and Neal Huff. The film garnered mixed reviews from critics, earning attention for its eerie atmosphere and complex characters.

 

The story revolves around Belinda, a heavily pregnant anthropology professor struggling with various emotional and professional pressures. Already grieving the tragic loss of her stillborn son Wallace, Belinda faces challenges in her academic department, which fails to treat her with respect. She also suffers from sleepwalking episodes caused by her anxiety. Meanwhile, her husband, Norman, avoids discussing his estranged family or his troubled past.

 

One evening, Norman receives a phone call from his stepmother, Solange, a devoutly religious and deeply unsettling woman. Solange informs Norman about his father’s impending death. However, Norman refuses to visit his family, concealing from Belinda the details of the religious abuse he endured under Solange’s influence.

 

Shortly after, Belinda quits her job due to mounting frustrations. Upon returning home, she learns from Norman that his father has passed away. The couple attends the funeral, where Belinda meets Solange for the first time. At the church, Solange makes a bold proposal: if the couple allows her to spend her final days living with them, they will inherit a significant sum of money. Despite his reservations, Norman reluctantly agrees, driven by the couple’s financial struggles.

 

Solange moves into the house, claiming the front room, which was initially prepared as a nursery for the couple’s unborn daughter. From the outset, her presence creates tension. Belinda begins to experience unsettling racial and religious microaggressions from Solange, who proudly displays her affiliation with the Daughters of the Confederacy. Norman later reveals that Solange believes she is possessed by the Holy Spirit, often entering trance-like states.

 

Solange disapproves of the couple’s chosen name for their baby, “Fern,” and insists on renaming her “Laurie” after Norman’s late father, Lawrence. Tensions escalate as Solange’s religious fervor begins to dominate the household. During one particularly disturbing episode, Solange appears to spiritually induce Belinda into labor. Following an emergency cesarean section, Belinda gives birth to Laurie but returns home to find her house completely transformed. Solange has replaced their furniture with her own belongings, including Norman’s father’s ashes, and has invited her prayer group into their living room.

 

Belinda’s frustration grows when she learns that Norman agreed to these changes without consulting her. Solange’s influence intensifies as her prayer group begins conducting intense rituals over Belinda and Laurie. During a heated argument, Solange injures herself by throwing her body against a table, manipulating Norman into believing that Belinda pushed her.

 

Pastor Lewis, a member of Solange’s prayer circle, visits the family and inadvertently reveals that Solange had already paid off their mortgage in full. This revelation deepens the couple’s dependence on Solange, further straining their relationship. Alone at home, Belinda struggles to care for both a demanding Solange and an inconsolable Laurie, who refuses to latch. Strange dreams and hallucinations plague Belinda, and Laurie seems to bond more with Solange than her own mother.

 

The situation reaches a breaking point when Laurie develops a bite mark on her arm. Although Norman initially blames Belinda, she convinces him that Solange is responsible, pointing out the missing tooth in the bite pattern. Finally standing up to Solange, Norman confronts her, but the elderly woman spends the night loudly lamenting and begging for death.

 

The next morning, the couple discovers Solange dead in her bedroom. They promptly cremate her, and Laurie begins latching to Belinda, signifying a restored bond between mother and child.

 

Years later, the family, now wealthy from Solange’s inheritance, moves into a new home. Belinda insists that Norman discard Solange’s chair, symbolizing their desire to move on from her oppressive legacy. Pregnant with twins and starting a new chapter in her life, Belinda attends a job interview. As she sings Edith Piaf’s "Non, je ne regrette rien" on the way, a flashback reveals a chilling secret: Belinda had smothered Solange to death.

Through its layered narrative, The Front Room explores themes of grief, control, and resilience, anchored by haunting performances and an unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the credits roll.