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Film: Azrael
Year: 2024
Director: E.L. Katz
Writer: Simon Barrett
Starring: Vic Carmen Sonne, Samara Weaving and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Review:
This was a movie that I didn't know about until seeing the trailer playing at the Gateway Film Center. When I saw that this was slated to be released, I made it a point to see it on the opening Thursday at the theater. What sold it for me was figuring out that this had Samara Weaving, who I'm a fan of. Other than that, the bit that I saw made this look brutal and reading the synopsis, had me intrigued.
Synopsis: in a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a woman who has escaped imprisonment. Recaptured, Azrael (Weaving) is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness but fights for her own survival.
We start this with seeing a woman, Miriam (Vic Carmen Sonne), who is painting pictures. What this seems to be is a prophecy of events that will unfold. She is also pregnant, that is something that I should include here.
Now the movie then shifts here where periodically, we get title cards. I found this interesting as this gives you an event of what you'll see in each section. Something of note is that the rapture happened. Since then, most everyone has lost the ability to speak. Azrael is making a bracelet. She goes back to Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and scolds him for making a fire. They look to see if anyone noticed, but it doesn’t seem to have. Azrael has a mark on her throat that looks like a cross. She also gives the bracelet to Kenan.
Her fears are realized though. They're attacked by a group of people. It is made up of Anton (Johhan Rosenberg), Luther (Eero Milonoff), Isaac (Sebastian Bull) and Liesl (Rea Lest). They're taken hostage and put in the trunk of cars. The place they're taken to has a chair. Azrael is strapped in and they cut her shin. We then see the purpose of the ritual. This burned person comes out of the woods. Azrael gets free and fights off Anton, leaving him for this creature.
It is from here that Azrael fights for survival. She goes to this group's camp, looking for Kenan. It gets to the point though where she must decide if life is worth living without him or does she die trying? Miriam is the leader of this cult and it seems that she's a prophet. There is a crack in the wall of her church where she hears whispering. It is from these that she paints on the walls. One is a smaller image of Azrael. They have a plan for her, but she won't allow it without a fight.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this is a high-octane action horror film. This doesn't waste any time getting into it. There isn't much to the story. It also doesn't need it. What this does well is set up the world that this takes place in. We know that it effectively has ended as the book of Revelations warned. The saved have disappeared and the rest are living out their days. What I like here is that people didn't turn to organized religions. Instead, they boiled down to pagan beliefs and sacrificing people to these creatures.
Now something interesting here is the character names. I pieced together while watching this Weaving as Azrael. Outside of that, I don't recall any other names given. It made me chuckle seeing them when looking up the cast list. Then to delve more, Azrael is an archangel who was the 'angel of death'. Seeing what she goes through here and must do to survive, that is fitting. I'll just go ahead and say that she's great here. Having seen Ready or Not, I knew that she was capable. Credit here that she doesn't have any lines of dialogue. That isn't easy. She can convey emotions like rage, love and loss well.
I'll then bring back religion to discuss. I said there isn't much story, but I think we get enough for things to make sense. The world has effectively ended. There are limited people left. Azrael and Kenan try to make it on their own. They're taken by this group. This is a story that would work whether it was in this world or in one that is more like we know. This group is trying to sacrifice them. We see these burned people that drink blood and violently attack. Would I like to know more? Absolutely. Do I think that this is enough for me to follow the tale, also yes. Credit there for the visual storytelling.
Then to stick with that, let's go over to filmmaking. I love the isolated feel of the woods. It gives hope to our couple that they might be able to hide. It also helps to hide that this is made in a world that hasn't ended, so credit there. That allows them to work with a smaller cast and not spend money to hide things. I like this shanty camp for our cult. The cinematography is good to capture this while also framing the action sequences. These are all good. I was shocked with how brutal the effects were. They looked to only use practical effects, so credit there as well. There were moments where it made me cringe, which I love. Other than that, I love what they did with sound design. The soundtrack also fit what was needed.
All that is left then is acting. I've already said how good Weaving was. Her counterpart in Stewart-Jarrett has limited screen time. What he did there was good. Sonne works as this prophet who leads the community. I like that she also fights Azrael during the climax. Rosenberg, Milonoff, Bull and Lest were good as the first cult members we see who capture the couple. We also met Katariina Unt and Phong Giang, they were both solid as well. Sonia Roszczuk, Valentin Tzin and Felix Leech, as well as the other burnt people were good too. The acting was solid across the board for what was needed.
In conclusion, this is an intense action horror film. I dug what they did here. We have a simple enough story. Seeing what this lead character of Azrael must endure is great. This goes brutal places with the effects, which worked for me. Credit as well to the cinematography, framing and sound design there as well. This is an interesting take on religious horror in a way that I'm not used to. I rather enjoyed my time and would consider rewatching if this hits Shudder before the end of the year.
My Rating: 8 out of 10