Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Homewrecker’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

At some point during our youth, someone uttered a fascinating phrase to us. One that informed us that high school and college would feature ‘the best years of our lives’, and there certainly was merit to those words at the time. Because we definitely had some fun during that portion of our lives and made great memories with great friends as we prepared to conquer the world. But let’s be honest, once we left those respective institutions, we quickly came to learn that those words were wholly incorrect. Because we were kids and barely adults during that particular period of time, without any understanding of what really makes life worth living. Which is why we come to understand that adulthood is when we start experiencing our 'best years' since that's when we truly enjoy the fruits of our labors and forge lasting relationships with friends and partners that make us whole.
​
If anything, the realization that those words were not entirely accurate, does beg an interesting question in our minds. In that, if so many of us come to a different understanding of what our best years are actually going to look like; why then do people tell us otherwise growing up? As it turns out the answer to that question is quite simple in nature, in that, the folks that tend to mutter that phrase are people who have struggled with life after they leave those institutions. Because the real world is wrought with tough moments, and finding our way through it can be difficult at times and when someone who peaked during high school and/or college isn’t finding life as easy as it once was, they tend to utter and believe in that phrase, since memories of those 'golden years' help them to cope with a world they cannot make sense of. Which is a shattered lifestyle that few of us will ever understand, which is why we have fiction to help us dive into such matters, and it just so happens that a brand new horror/comedy takes the time to explore the power of this notion in a brilliant and quirky manner in ​Homewrecker.
​
Now in this particular story we are introduced to a woman named Michelle who seemingly has it all. For she’s a newlywed who is thinking about starting a family with her darling husband and her career is taking off, which affords her the ability to work wherever she wants whenever she wants. But one fine day, Michelle is approached by an intense woman named Linda, who is insistent on becoming her buddy, seemingly out of the blue. And in an attempt to be kind, Michelle tries to accommodate her and offer up a little companionship to someone who seems quite lonely, a move that turns out to be quite the mistake. For Linda is looking for more than a friend. Instead she wants a perfect roommate and BFF, one that can turn her broken life around and unfortunately for Michelle, Linda has chosen her to be just that, whether she likes it or not.

So, one of the elements that make this motion picture so incredibly brilliant, is its ability to surprise the audience. Take the beginning of the film for instance. Because at first glance it really seems as though Michelle is simply going to deal with a woefully unstable human being, one that preys upon and hurts the kind and the gentle since Michelle is in fact, all of those things. Which seems fairly cliché. But once she finds herself trapped within Linda’s home; the story moves in a brand new direction, wherein it takes the time to examine everything we just discussed a moment ago by way of its characters. For we quickly come to learn that Linda is indeed someone who straight up peaked in high school, something that she references herself, by pointing out that everyone loved her and wanted to be her back in the day. Whereas now, she is nothing more than an afterthought, and lonely and without anything to show for her life and this makes for a fascinating character study for certain.

---

Because often times, characters like Linda in horror films are presented as nothing more than forces of nature, the kind that cannot be reckoned or reasoned with because pain has turned them evil. But here, Linda is actually a character that you take pity upon. For it is obvious that she never took the time to self-reflect and learn what makes her happy after leaving high school, she simply locked onto those memories once the harsh realities of life presented themselves, and withdrew as the years went along, turning her into the broken and shattered person we explore alongside Michelle in this story. Making her nothing more than a grand tragedy in the end. One that serves to remind us how sticking to the past and nothing more can be quite dangerous for our mental heath, and how obsession and attempts to reclaim yesterday can also cause great harm, as evidenced by a surprise twist that we won’t discuss here. 
​
But while Linda is quite the dynamic character/villain in her own right, we would be remiss to not discuss Michelle and what makes her tick as well. Because she too shatters some horror tropes by way of her character development in this tale, since often times characters that resemble her are nothing more than plot devices that can scream real loud, and are designed to help unsettle the audience with the pain they experience at the hands of our twisted villain. But here, Michelle is a dynamic protagonist, one that actively works to free herself from her situation and is as cunning and intelligent as the monster she is facing off against, and that makes her quite the refreshing hero for certain. One that you’re constantly rooting for because she is supremely relatable and genuinely good and it’s nice to see her grow and do whatever she must in order to survive this house of horrors.
​
But the wonder of this film doesn't end with its dynamic characters and its fascinating look at how people can become trapped in the past. Because it's also delightfully funny, and it's a good thing there is humor present in this tale. For the jokes serve to break up what is at times, an intense and disturbing story. But while all of these elements are wonderful in their own right, none of them matter without quality acting. Because without a great cast all of these concepts are wasted, especially since we are spending time with only two characters for a majority of the story and thankfully, the acting here is outright sublime. Because Precious Chong (Linda) and Alex Essoe (Michelle) are downright incredible on screen. For not only do they play off one another well, they truly transform into their characters and make this feel like a believable story, one ripped from the headlines of the six o'clock news, and their dynamic and powerful performances simply grab onto you and never let go.

But make no mistake about it, despite the storytelling depth and the humor, this is a horror film through and through, one that takes the time to present us with quite the monster since Linda is indeed a twisted and broken individual. One that will stop at nothing in order to recapture the past she so desperately misses and while this is an extreme take on the whole ‘living in the past’ notion it does feel painfully relatable since we’ve seen folks at our high school reunions who clearly are desperate to recapture those glory days. Either way, this is a must-see motion picture, simply because it is filled to the brim with jaw-dropping surprises and twisted moments, and its intelligent script and powerful performances allow for this one to stay with you long after it has come to an end. Since it does leave the viewer wondering, as to whether or not they’ve done enough, in regard to letting go of yesterday.

---