Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Inheritance’ (2021)

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Inheritance’.
​
It is definitely safe to say, that we know our family pretty darn well when we reach adulthood. After all, we spend the first eighteen years of our life surrounded by our siblings and our parents, allowing for us to really get to know what makes them tick and what brings them joy and sorrow. And we also spend a fair amount of time with our extended family as well, allowing for us to learn similar facts about them. Which is one big reason why we share a special bond with our family in general, since we truly are privy to unique aspects of who they are, in a manner that can never be replicated. But while we do indeed have a fine understanding of who they all are when we leave home to take on the world, we don’t completely know everything about them. 
​
Because they are their own people, and we didn’t spend every waking moment with them growing up. So, we missed out on formative moments with friends or important conversations that truly revealed some of their fears and hopes, the kind they didn’t share with everyone. But while that’s not exactly a big deal since we know them pretty well on a fundamental level, sometimes not knowing everything about our family can be problematic, especially when they pass on. Because if dark secrets are revealed after their passing, our view of them and our lives will never be same and that can lead to lasting emotional trauma. And it just so happens, that there is a new horror film on the market that explores the troublesome nature of discovering those kinds of unsettling secrets in The Inheritance.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a woman named Sasha who has just found the bright spot in her grandfather’s passing. For dear Yuri had a lot of assets to his name, the kind that will make Sasha and her boyfriend Peter, rich beyond their wildest dreams if they opt to sell it all. A move that Sasha isn’t completely sure is a priority, since she knows so little about her grandfather’s life before he moved to the United States, and that motivates her to take a trip to the Ukraine with her beloved to get an idea of what his life was like before she makes the decision to liquidate his assets and collect the cash. Which is a decision that proves to be, quite troublesome. For while his primary estate in Kiev is quite lovely and elegant, it is filled to the brim with secrets, the kind that are awakening in the middle of the night for the first time in years and they are fixated on Sasha and what she can do for them. 

---

So, the first thing we need to get out of the way when it comes to this movie, is to point out the fact that this is a slow burning horror film. Which means it relies heavily on classical gothic elements and shadows and spooky noises to set up the ghostly atmosphere present here and in this day and age, that can be a turn off. Because we are used to ghost stories that are in our faces and filled with gore and scares. But it is best to stick with this one and its slow burning style, simply because it really does harken back to a golden age of ghostly cinema and it does pay off in the end. Because minute by minute, Sasha begins to unravel the secrets of the house and that leads to some poignant and epic moments for certain. The kind that ironically, speak to the audience.
​
Because let’s be honest, uncovering dark secrets about one’s family… is not an everyday thing and there is really no blueprint out there on how to deal with such a surprise and the emotional backlash it would send our way. But therein lies the beauty of this tale. Since Sasha is as strong as they come and refuses to be broken by what she uncovers, and that makes her arc a satisfying one for certain. Because her strength is derived from the fact… that whatever her grandfather did back in the day, does not define her as a person, and that such acts need to be exposed to the world, regardless of what kind of trouble it causes since the truth matters above all else and that really is some dynamic commentary to inject into a ghost story, since it offers up quite the lesson to the viewer.

If anything, all of these elements make this a supremely unique horror film when all is said and done, since the ghostly aspect of this story is nothing more than a mere device to point out the fact that the horrors of the past are just as scary as the horrors of the unknown. And to top it all off, it is filled to the brim with compelling performances as well, especially from Natalia Ryumina, who plays Sasha, since she sells every moment in this story with gravitas and genuine emotion and really, in the end… all of these elements make this movie a worthwhile watch. Simply because it really does work to offer up a different kind of ghost story, one that helps to remind us to be brave, in the event we someday come to learn that someone we love… is not who or what we thought them to be.  

---