Umma – A Solid Small-Scale Horror Film

The best films make the most out of their circumstances by using them to their advantage. Out of all the genres, horror has been the one to succeed at this more often than not. Without all the noise, it allows audiences to hone in on great stories. In this case of Umma, it is all of the above but that being said, it could only do much in spite of its simplicity. Everybody has a family and knows that those aren’t always easy. Characters haunted by their pasts is not a new thing whatsoever as the film admittedly doesn’t bring all that much new to the table. Nevertheless, what it does, it does well. Running at a brisk 80+ minutes, it certainly does not waste any time. The feature directorial debut of Iris K. Shim, who also wrote the film, shows some definite vision. Meanwhile, star Sandra Oh proves that she could also shine in feature films as she moves on from her role in Killing Eve as that series comes to an end. It’s just a shame that the film was marketed so poorly.

Umma follows the relationship between a woman named Amanda (Oh) and her daughter Chris (Stewart) who both lived a quiet and isolated life on a remote California farm harvesting honey. However, their lives were inevitably turned upside down once Amanda came in possession of the remains of her deceased estranged mother from Korea. Thinking she escaped her troubled past with her mother, those memories and the associated trauma came flooding back. Her biggest fear was not becoming her mother with her own daughter. However, history still found a way to repeat itself with both relationships sharing strikingly similar parallels. In order to move on in the present, Amanda would have to confront her past one way or another whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not. Over the course of the film, that internal conflict and those parallels between both relationships separated by different generations was compelling to watch as there also happened to be a malevolent spirit looming over them.

Amanda’s trauma was certainly worthy of a horror film, however, the larger ghost story was also solid despite not being new by any means. What it lacks in originality in terms of scares, Umma makes up for in execution with some great atmosphere work via some quality sound design and camera work. At the end of the day, the end result shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise but the film still pulls of a tense climax thanks to the stellar performances from Oh and Stewart as Amanda and Chris. Their chemistry creates a strong dynamic which guides the film. Oh shows off some range as a traumatized woman looking to move on with her daughter that she was trying to protect from her past. Stewart was a prototypical angsty teen whose isolation hindered her social skills though still loved her mother despite seeking her own independence.

In the end, Umma keeps it simple and succeeds more often than not. It’s a short and undemanding watch that horror fans will surely enjoy.

still courtesy of Sony Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.