I have no idea how I’ve missed this, but The Abandoned (2006) is one of those rare movies that riveted me. It helps if you’re not of the group that expects explosions or flying body parts every 2.3 minutes. This movie gives a slow, but continuous, build of tension.
It stars Anastasia Hille as Marie and Karl Roden as Nicolai. I really enjoyed the work of both of these actors in the movie. So much so that, by the end of the movie, I really wanted to see more of them. The locale (set in Russia, filmed in Bulgaria) is both beautiful and subtly ominous. The film’s soundtrack is another rare work of being non-intrusive, yet aiding in building the tension.
Marie had been adopted by an American couple when she was a baby. She returns to Russia to visit her family’s home (which she inherited after her mother died several years before and which she finds out about through a notary in Russia).
Her arrival at the notary’s office is when things get weird. And wonderful. And creepy. And confusing.
Marie meets Nicolai (the brother she didn’t know she had) at the family farm and their dive into family history begins.
While it’s unclear just what the overall story is (zombies, ghosts, undead, an unending time loop???), it’s a trip worth taking. It’s fascinating and keeps you watching and, at the end, leaves you wondering. There may be cultural beliefs/legends that might fill in the blanks that, as an American viewer, I don’t know.
Several notes of caution:
There is some brief nudity. There is one particularly disturbing scene regarding Nicolai’s death. And, while this isn’t a first-person shaky-cam movie, shaky-cam is used to effect in a couple of scenes. One of those scenes goes on for a bit. While I normally hate it, it was well-done and added to a sense of disorientation. I was surprised to not mind it.
If you like a decent, suspenseful thriller, you won’t be disappointed. There are some wonderful moments in it, it’s well-acted, it delivers (except for the storyline), and the actors bring something to it that you don’t often see. They just are perfect for their roles.
At The Hoosies 