Relic

Relic follows three generations of women in one family: Edna, an elderly widow living alone in a remote country house, her daughter Kay, and her granddaughter Sam. When Edna disappears without explanation, Kay and Sam travel to the family home to search for her. Edna eventually returns, but she cannot or will not say where she has been, and her behaviour grows increasingly erratic. While signs point to advancing dementia, strange occurrences around the house suggest something else may be at work, and the two younger women come to believe a sinister presence has taken hold of both the house and Edna.

The film is the feature debut of Australian director Natalie Erika James, who wrote the screenplay with Christian White. It came before her later features Apartment 7A and Saccharine. Robyn Nevin plays Edna, with Emily Mortimer as Kay, Bella Heathcote as Sam, Chris Bunton as Jamie, Steve Rodgers as Constable Mike Adler and Catherine Glavicic as Doctor Stanley. Jake Gyllenhaal is among the producers.

Made for about 1 million US dollars, Relic took roughly 3 million dollars worldwide, a solid return on a modest budget. It holds a 7.6 out of 10 critics' rating from 236 reviews, while audiences are cooler: 6 out of 10 on IMDb from 33,000 votes and 6.1 out of 10 on TMDB from 851 votes. The gap suggests critics responded more strongly to the film than general viewers did.