A word of caution. Keep Mum will buzz around in your head long after its final scene. It is a gripping and chilling depiction of the emotional and physical toll of domestic violence seen through the lens of magical realism. Referencing Issa Lopez’s Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) and the gothic atmosphere of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, Keep Mum is a stunning work of psychological horror.
Nadira Murray is totally convincing as a woman dangling on the edge of madness. In less than twenty-four hours of her day, we see every mood swing and every anguish she must have experienced for years previous. Now wandering through her empty house during the holiday season, she seems lost at first but gains some resolution in the end.
Murray’s unnamed role is a wife and mother who we first see digging in her backyard at night. Jump cuts refocus on her drunkenly trashing her house while wearing a bloody shirt and little else. It would have been so easy for Keep Mum to derail into caricature by making these scenes too broad in depicting the woman as an out of control drunk.
Director Luana Di Pasquale knows exactly what she is doing in building up suspense. She is never unsympathetic to her main character who is clearly not entirely sane and potentially a danger to herself. The woman’s young son played by Cameron Murray and his favorite stuffed toy help to balance the more horrific elements of the plot. They are a stabilizing force for the woman to cling to as she comes to terms with the aftermath of her psychotic break.
FemmeFilmFest20 Interview: ‘Keep Mum’ director Luana Di Pasquale
Guillermo del Toro is known for his stories of childhood innocence lost through trauma, and Di Pasquale is clearly a fan. Her message is trauma can be a lasting and devastating blow for adults and children alike, particularly when it involves a loved one who is abusive.
In a brief description of Keep Mum she mentions that it is a short version of a full length feature she is currently working on. Domestic violence is a personal issue for her and she certainly approaches it with a sensitivity that tempers some of the more graphic scenes of her film.
Keep Mum has generated a lot of attention so far in various festivals and justifiably so. Di Pasquale is a woman to watch. She has already shown herself to be a director with a precise awareness of what she wants to convey with her camera. She is sure to continue to gain more recognition with her future projects.
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