209. Allure; movie review

ALLURE
Cert 18
105 mins
BBFC advice: Contains child abuse theme, sexual violence

It is a damned difficult watch at times but there can be no denying the stellar quality of the acting during Jason and Carlos Sanchez's Allure.
Evan Rachel Wood is so convincing as a young woman with mental health issues prompted by sex abuse that she could have been an Oscar contender.
Julia Sarah Stone is also totally believable as a teenager who is so naive that she is vulnerable to abuse by the abused.
The only problem is that Allure is akin to watching a car crash so it is not a movie which I could say I enjoyed.
Wood's character, Laura, is on the edge from the start, struggling to understand the boundaries of behaviour in almost every scenario.
Hers is a world where she only hears the word yes and flips out when she is denied whatever hedonistic pleasure she seeks.
It actually seems as if she thinks she is in the right when she encourages an unhappy 16-year-old (Stone) to run away from home and live with her.
Meanwhile, in the background, is the tumultuous relationship with her father (Denis O'Hare) for whom she works.
It would be easy to be frustrated by Laura because almost every single one of her actions is misplaced and her anger would, to most people, be simply unacceptable.
However, the longer Allure progresses, the more hints are given as to why she is unhinged.
Allure may not be an easy film but it has significant depth, posing questions about the pull of family as well as estrangement.
As said, its acting is top-notch and for that alone it belies the marks which many reviews are giving it.

Reasons to watch: Stunning performances from its two leads
Reasons to avoid: Its tension and the sex abuse them 

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Jason Sanchez: "It’s not always black and white. It doesn’t always come down to abused and abuser, or victim and aggressor. That’s why, I think, Evan took so strongly to doing the film — because she’s a survivor of abuse — and it shows the reality of what these people go through." Cult Montreal

The big question - Does the horror of sexual abuse ever go away?

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