Most of us are familiar with the sight of a parent humoring their frightened child by checking under the bed for a monster. A new trailer for “Relic” depicts a less familiar scene: an adult child humoring her frightened, elderly mother, and checking under the bed for a monster. It turns out there’s something to be scared of, after all.
Natalie Erika James’ feature debut sees Edna’s (Robyn Nevin) daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) travel to their remote family home when their matriarch goes missing.
“She called me a few weeks ago. I think she was scared,” says Kay. “She thought someone was coming into the house.”
Kay and Sam find Edna, but their reunion leaves Kay convinced that her mother “can’t live on her own anymore. She has to be watched.” Edna keeps alluding to a sinister presence in the house, which Kay views as evidence of her unraveling mind.
But the spot suggests that Edna’s fears are warranted — something terrifying is in fact hiding under her bed.
James described “Relic” to us as “a psychological horror that follows three generations of women as a manifestation of dementia takes over their family home. It’s a story about the heartbreak and tragedy of aging and Alzheimer’s,” she explained, “and the shifting dynamics between parent and child as people age.”
When asked what she would want audiences to think about after watching the film, she said, “I think having to confront your parents’ mortality — and your own by extension — is such a scary but universal concept. There’s a specific tortuous quality to Alzheimer’s and watching someone decline in its clutches. If there’s one person in the audience who watches the film and it resonates with them on a level that helps them process a feeling or an experience with the disease, or see their loved ones in a new light, I’ll feel like I’ve achieved what I set out to do,” she emphasized.
Mortimer’s recent credits include “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Good Posture,” and “The Bookshop.”
“Top of the Lake” and “The Matrix” franchise are among Nevin’s credits.
A “Man in the High Castle” alumna, Heathcote’s other credits include “Professor Marston & the Wonder Women,” “Fifty Shades Darker,” and “The Neon Demon.”
“Relic” made its world premiere to rave reviews at Sundance in January and launches in theaters and on VOD/ digital rental on July 10.
