Review of “Mind Body Spirit” – A yoga horror film in the “Hereditary” style

Mind, body, spiritthe filmmakers' feature horror debut Alex Henes And Matthew Merendaisn't the first film this year that feels like it's tapping into similar things Ari Aster'S Hereditary. However, so far it is the only one in which it is involved so much yoga alongside the story about family trauma and how it is passed down. This could easily sound like a joke, but Mind, body, spirit is a found footage horror that plays things mostly straight, aside from a few gags about influencers. This is a blessing and a curse at the same time. The curse is that things never go far enough to reflect our modern digital lives as deftly as something like the latest The influencer. Instead, its blessings are expressed in the more supernatural dark joys that operate along the lines of something similar Rob Savage'S host with a slight touch of livestream horror Deadstream.

These are all promising points of comparison, and fans of these other films will likely be excited by many of them Mind, body, spirit. But what also has to be said is that, both thematically and formally, it is not quite as good as the predecessors on which it is based. While many found footage films take place in confined spaces, here it often feels more confining than completely claustrophobic. The longer it lasts, the more fun it is, but the ongoing restrictions dampen the fear. Where something like We're all going to the World's FairCaptured the loneliness and liberation of the internet, this is only superficial. This might be an unfair comparison since Mind, body, spirit however, is more interested in the uncanny than the existential it still can't hit quite as hard as it could have.

What is “Mind Body Spirit” about?

It all starts with a computer sitting on a table. There is a playlist of what appear to be archived videos that we will watch during the film. The one who makes these videos is Anya, played by a wonderfully sincere and sinister person Sarah J. Bartholomew, who is trying to become a yoga influencer. Through early scenes in which she speaks directly to the camera, we learn that her life has recently changed significantly as she moved into her late grandmother's house to get a fresh start. There she begins making videos that seem awkward at first, but then become more and more disturbing. Anya is desperately trying to build an online presence and is ready to do anything for it.

This causes her to miss some major warning signs that something is wrong in the house. Her daily mission is to create more authentic and candid videos, although she struggles to figure out how to do it. When she discovers her grandmother's diary, She decides that this will be her way to express herself and discover who she really is. She has no idea that the text she is immersing herself in is not about mindfulness and that it is a threatening ritual in which she is unknowingly taking part.

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I think I'm going to throw up now.

The film is then about Anya's isolation and descent into darkness. We watch as she becomes increasingly thin as something seems to take control of her body. Some visual effects take you out of key scenes, including one involving swallowing a string, but Bartholomew's performance helps make up for some of the shortcomings. You may be wondering why we see some things, like occasional video calls with her mother Lenka (Anna Knigge) or moments where she's lying in her bed that don't appear to have been recorded, but the bigger issue is how some of the scenes are shot.

A scene in which her influencer friend Kenzi (Madi Bready) comes by to make a video with Anya. It's understandably shot in a wide angle so viewers can see her exercises, but it still feels a little distant. Where something like Steven Soderberghis imminent Present could find a greater variety of perspectives in a single house, Mind, body, spirit often resorts to the same tricks. Occasionally the camera rotates to show us what's lurking in a room, or moves as we discover hidden parts of the house, although much of it remains static.

“Mind Body Spirit” is a horror film that gets under your skin

Sometimes it goes a little deeper, like when Anya speaks directly to us while sitting at a desk talking about her insecurities just as the door begins to open behind her. This is often undermined by commercials, some with Kenzi and one with a random guy talking about a nonsensical drink he's trying to sell, sacrificing horror for silliness. The ads do a good job of mimicking the kind of empty influencer Anya doesn't want to be, but this slight skewering still comes at a cost. Scenes that seemed like they would develop into something disturbing are cut because we don't have the patience to let them get under our skin. Even a disturbing moment in which Anya speaks in a room full of candles with a wild look in her eyes ends abruptly. It's as if more of the scene has been ripped away, allowing us to return to scenes where we are at some distance again. It doesn't completely detract from the film, but it keeps it from reaching its full potential.

Much like Anya talks about hollowing herself out for something else in order to move on, the best parts of the film come when that process begins to take hold. Once we get past the clunkier string scene, Mind, body, spirit begins to find increasingly spooky terrain. From a nighttime excursion where the camera wanders around the house to a confession scene the next morning where we hear the creeping fear in Anya's voice turn into obsession, these escalations add a whole new dimension to the experience. A large part of this is due to Bartholomew's performance, which doesn't falter even when the film does so frequently. She gives us insight into her character in a more natural way than some of the occasionally forced dialogue, showing us glimpses of her increasingly broken spirit through an embodied performance. Even if the film doesn't quite capture the spirit, The spell she casts is awfully close.

Mind Body Mind (2023)

REVIEW

“Mind Body Spirit” is a fine found footage horror film that still doesn't hit as hard as it could have.

Advantages

• Even if the film falters a little, Sarah J. Bartholomew never does, as she delivers a performance that casts a strong spell.
• As we get closer to the end, the film gets scarier and leaves some of the clunkier elements behind.
• The film does a good job of mimicking influencers' ads and slightly skewering them here and there.

Disadvantages

• The film occasionally sacrifices horror for silliness.
• The way the film is shot, shaky effects and forced dialogue slow things down to some extent.

Mind, body, spirit is now available for VOD streaming in the US

WATCH ON VOD