Directed by Sébastien Marnier
Starring Laure Calamy, Doria Tillier, Dominique Blanc, and Jacques Weber

Some movies have literal titles, some take metaphorical approaches, and others leave it so ambiguous that three separate people could wittingly convince you that the definition they’ve found in it was the director’s true meaning. Of the latter, I find the greatest enjoyment from film titles. Making your own meaning while watching something is the easiest way to form an actual bond to a piece of media and a genuine connection to its characters. 

Maybe it’s because you’re imprinting yourself on the material or maybe it’s because you’re more invested as a result of your blistering curiosity, but I’d like to imagine it’s a healthy mix of both. If the director isn’t too blunt with their delivery, you can both see what they’re saying while also placing enough emphasis on particular scenes that it feels unique to you and the way you describe it to others is equally unique. 

The Origin of Evil delighted me by gently subverting every presumption I had of what would come next, eventually leading me to give up the reins and let the movie take me for a ride since I kept barely hitting the mark on where it would end up. At first, I thought this was going to be a horror, based purely on the creepy poster and intimidating title, but within 20 minutes I received my first correction. This film is not scary like a horror, but instead creepy like a thriller. See how close I was, but how fundamentally different those two distinctions are?

It made watching the whole thing an absolute delight because who likes to know what they’re going into? Unless I’m watching Transformers and I’m drunk, I’d like to have a few surprises littered throughout the runtime. And The Origin of Evil left just enough space in between each twist for me to catch my breath and have the audacity to try predicting where it would go next again. Some might now be as entertained. Hell, they might even have a more accurate stab at what’s lurking around the corner, but I’m not saying I left shocked as the credits rolled. Instead, pleasantly subverted, like taking a shell home from the beach and finding a little yabby in it. 

Though it drags its feet here, and it jumps a little too suddenly there, The Origin of Evil feels like it’s having fun – but like most artsy films I’ve seen recently, I don’t know why it takes so much pleasure in creating such a disturbing sexual atmosphere when it wants to.

The Origin of Evil is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from TBC.

Moviedoc thanks Potential Films for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Reviewed by Zak Wheeler for Moviedoc

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