I love indie film. I pride myself in finding those obscure gems to share.  I am especially drawn the horror & thriller genres. The more twisted, twisty, confusing, confounding, the better. The kind of story where you wake up in the middle of the night, 3 days later, with an epiphany about a scene or a metaphor or a twist.  Not gore or torture for the sake of gore and torture, but a work that makes you think.

I can’t stop thinking about The Babadook since I saw it earlier this week. The Babadook ticks all my boxes.  It’s an Australian piece, written and directed by Jennifer Kent (girl power!), partially funded by Kickstarter,  It stars Essie Davis as Amelia, the troubled and harried widow raising an equally troubled son. You might know Essie from the original, gritty, far superior Australian version of The Slap. The young and monstrously talented Noah Wiseman plays Sam, her six year old son whose behavioral issue are getting out of hand.  Mark my words – you won’t be forgetting him any time soon.

Equal parts horror and psychological thriller, there isn’t a second in this film when you aren’t on the edge of your seat.  It’s intelligent, thought-provoking, emotional, visually stunning, and superbly acted.   Plus, it is streaming free on Netflix. Take my advice and watch it ASAP,  then slither on over to the The Middle-Aged Ingenue Facebook page and we’ll discuss.

Have you ever liked a movie so much that you wish you hadn’t seen it?  Simply for the joy and pleasure of being able to see it again for the first time. Films like that are few and far between.  That’s what makes them so special.  The Babadook is one of those films. Here’s the official trailer.