I’ve always admired people who adopt children. It’s not easy for either adults or children. It’s this whole process of learning to love unconditionally and building trust between the adoptive parents and the child. Sometimes a good deed can be hell.
The Other
The Other, a Camp Lucky Studios Production, is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Paul Etheredge. The film, which stars Olivia Macklin, Dylan McTee, Avangeline Friedlander, Lily D. Moore, and Shawnee Smith, immediately gave off vibes to another film, which I consider the champagne of adoption stories gone wrong. I’m talking about Orphan.
Unable to have children of their own, a young couple adopts a little girl with a traumatic past…but it isn’t long before their act of love turns into a nightmare. The acting in The Other is good, with the storyline following the usual path of adoptive parents, Robin (Olivia Macklin) and Daniel (Dylan McTee), taking in an orphaned little girl named Kathelia (Avangeline Friedlander). Kathelia, a black child, is mute and unable to tell Robin and Daniel exactly what caused her mother to go berserk. Soon after the child arrives at her new home, strange events start to happen.
Something is following Kathelia. We know this because the child is constantly stealing kitchen knives and workbench tools to protect herself. Luckily, for Kathelia, she has understanding neighbours. Fiona (Lily D. Moore), who has Down syndrome, quickly figures out the cause of Kathelia’s inability to speak and its connection to Kathelia’s past.
Conclusion
There are plenty of jump scares in the film, and the ending is quite unexpected, but it isn’t the adults who make the film worth watching. Avangeline Friedlander and Lily D. Moore are the bones of this film.
I was hoping that the film would focus more on the story surrounding the children’s friendship, especially since both children were dealing with the issue of being accepted for who they are. Avangeline Friedlander didn’t need to speak at all in this film because her eyes said it all. And let’s face it, some of the best scenes in most horror films happen when the main characters are silent. Lily D. Moore’s character kept us in suspense because her innocence hinted at darker secrets, which she delivered with surgical precision.
The Other is available on digital and On Demand now. Granny gives it a thumbs up.
