The House
Directed by Emma de Swaef & Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Paloma Baeza
Screenplay by Enda Walsh
Produced by Charlotte Bavasso & Christopher O’Reilly
Starring Mia Goth, Claudie Blakley, Matthew Goode, Mark Heap, Miranda Richardson, Stephanie Cole, Jarvis Cocker, Dizzee Rascal, Will Sharpe, Paul Kaye, Susan Wokoma, Helena Bonham Carter
Cinematography James Lewis Malcolm Hadley
Edited by Barney Pilling
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla
Production companies: Nexus Studios, Netflix Animation
Distributed by Netflix
Release date January 14, 2022
Running time 97 minutes
Country United Kingdom
The House is actually three different stories, about the same in length, but each very distinctly different in tone and style.
The first is titled “And heard within, a lie is spun” which takes place in the past (late 17th century is my guess), where a lawyer appears before a destitute farming family with an astounding offer: trade their hovel and the land it is on for a beautiful mansion being built on a nearby hill. The lights go off and on as needed, and each mealtime a sumptuous feast is laid out, although there is no sign of any servants or anyone other than construction men who are doing something mysterious in the basement and never respond to any members of the family. It seemed too good to be true. The animation style (stop-motion as are the other two stories) feature stuffed dolls of the sort popular in the early industrial era.
The second is titled “Then lost is truth that can’t be won” and appears to be around 1990 or so. A city has grown around the House, and a mouse developer has decided to “flip” the somewhat run down property, and to that end rewires it, refinishes floors and walls, and puts in all the latest appliances. Situated on prime real estate, the developer awaits eager buyers with lots of money. But then a plague of insects appears, and the only “buyers” are a weird couple (also mice) who see an opportunity to simply squat.
The third (and my personal favorite) is titled “Listen again and seek the sun” and is about a woman owning the house, now nearly decrepit and surrounding by slowly rising flood waters, who is trying to collect rent from desperate renters in order to keep the place dry and habitable. The characters in this arc are all cats. Then one of her more ethereal tenants has a strange friend, Cosmos, show up. At first he appears to be just another New Age scam artist. He isn’t; he offers redemption to both Rosa (the landlady) and the House.
It’s a very odd, but moving and intelligent feature. The pace is slow, permitting feelings of suspense, dread, and hope to build. The characters are understated, everyday sorts struggling to cope with extraordinary events with ordinary means.
Now on Netflix.