81. Little Joe; movie review

LITTLE JOE
Cert 12A
105 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat, violence, infrequent strong language

In the 1970s, the bejesus was scared out of me by those TV thrillers which left their horrors to the imagination.
I was reminded of them by Jessica Hausner's film which crept me out just like Roald Dahl's Tales Of The Unexpected did back then.
It is strange on many levels - not least that its main character is trapped in the fashion of 40 years ago while the movie is set in the present day.
Little Joe is an antidote to the avalanche of films which are reliant on blood-letting for their supposed thrills.
Scarcely a drop is spilt - indeed, it is interesting how much it surprises or even shocks the viewer when it eventually is.
The movie focuses on a divorced mum, Alice (Emily Beecham), who is a plant breeder at a company at the cutting edge of researching and developing new species of flowers.
She and her colleague (Ben Whishaw) have designed a plant which will respond to love and care by producing a scent which makes people happy.
On the face of it, they may have alighted upon something so significant, it can benefit the whole of mankind.
Indeed, she is so pleased with herself that she takes a plant home and names the species Little Joe after her son (Kit Connor).
However, suspicions are raised that the plant might have a mind of its own after another colleague (Kerry Fox) believes her beloved dog is no longer the same animal after he has taken in the plant's pollen.
Alice then begins to fear behavioural changes in her son may be down to him having had close contact with the plant they have had home.
Hausner builds up tension by playing with the audience's mind - leaving the constant question over whether sinister forces are at play or whether Alice has an overactive imagination.
Some might think the movie is too underplayed because of its lack of histrionics.
I would disagree. Whishaw is splendidly creepy and Beecham plays the straight bat until she feels as if she may be going out of her kind.
But it is Connor's character which adds to most eerie dimension especially when he appears to be in league with his self-assured girlfriend (Jessie Mae Alonzo).
I didn't enjoy Hausner's Amour Fou because I wasn't plugged into her style. Now I am and I want to see more.

Reasons to watch: 70s-style, creepy horror
Reasons to avoid: All in the mind rather than big action

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? It is a scientific fact that some plants can make us happy. For example, Basil contains a compound called linalool that is helpful to improve mood. The compound and the delicious scent of the plant have a positive effect on humans.

The final word. Jessica Hausner: "The film plays a little bit with the genre of sci-fi – it’s similar to a fairy tale or Frankenstein. It’s a simple story and then plays with the genre to tell a story about the world, ask questions or look for explanations or a point of view about society." Variety

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