Earwig
Earwig
Saturday 21st May, 2022
Dir: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
UK / France / Belgium 2021, 114 mins
Cert: 15*
CW// Contains one scene of strong violence
While Mockingbird Screen 2 is accessible by wheelchair, there is currently no access to the disabled toilet from this screen.
In a gloomy apartment, somewhere in Europe in the middle of the 20th century, Albert, a sombre and taciturn man, looks after Mia, an obedient little girl with teeth made of ice.
Everyday, the teeth melt and need to be replaced with a new set, a task Albert completes meticulously. One day, their strange routine is interrupted by a mysterious call: a man announces that Mia needs to get ready to leave for a long journey…
Adapted from Brian Caitling's novel of the same name, Earwig is the latest opus by arthouse name Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Innocence, Evolution). Despite borrowing from the body horror genre, the film is rarely graphic. Instead it exerts its fascination on the spectator through its chilling sound design and cinematography (dialogue also plays a very small part – the first word appearing after 30 minutes). The result is a haunting film that leaves much to interpretation, with an atmosphere that stays with you long after the credits roll.
