If anyone gets a chance, check out the film The Apology on Shudder, do it. Categorized as horror, but I’d call it more of a thriller, which is not a bad thing, it seems like it would have been better fitted as a Hulu Original, maybe?
Alison Locke wrote and directed this picture about a Mother, portrayed by Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad, Sully), still dealing with the traumatic loss of her daughter, twenty years after her disappearance. She’s preparing to be the “host” for the family Christmas dinner with the help of her neighbor, played by Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer, Mystery Men), when she’s interrupted by a familiar face, Linus Roache (Batman Begins, Vikings).
To go more into detail would throw us into spoiler territory. By the way, it’s super freaking cool seeing Garofalo in a movie like this. She was one of my biggest crushes growing up (d’aw!) and has always been great in everything. Someone cast her and Sandra Bullock as sisters in a movie, please!
The film is shot and directed appropriately using dialogue scenes as it’s core strength. Great dialogue. So if you don’t like the talky talk, you might not wanna watchy watch. Prepare for a slow burn first act leading up to a more kinetic second. Totally worth it though. Additionally, I loved the sound design on this one!
Overall, I’d give this flick a solid “B” all around. It’s a good change of pace for what Shudder has been putting out. Now I can watch Scare Package 2: Rad Chad’s Revenge next week as my guilty pleasure.
The Apology hit Shudder and digital on December 16, just in time for Christmas, and features a 91-minute runtime.
