Sundance ‘Censor’ Review: A Surreal Horror Film That’s So Relevant Due To The Rise In Censorship – Mashable India

Censor, directed by Prano Bailey-Bond and written by Anthony Fletcher and Prano, tells the story of a strict film censor Enid (Niamh Algar) and her efforts to protect society from video nasty i.e. low-budget horror and exploitation films during the 80s. And when her life is upended by a movie whose plot is way too familiar for her, it becomes apparent that shes using her rigid demeanour to hide a sinister darkness. The film is basically a massive f*ck you to censorship of art. But in addition to that, Prano manages to place forth a commentary between whats real and whats reel and how one is a reflection of the other, which is fueled by Algars performance.

Allow me to give you some context. In India, a stand-up comic named Munawar Faruqui was jailed and denied bail for a joke he may or may not crack in the future which may or may not hurt religious sentiments. In India, the makers of a show called Mirzapur have been accused of harming the image of Uttar Pradesh. In India, the cast and crew of a show called Tandav have been accused of harming religious sentiments and the director has been forced to make egregious changes. In India, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), nicknamed the Censor Board, is infamous for looking at art through a regressive lens and asking artists to edit stuff out to get permission for a theatrical release. And these are just some of the examples. So, I cant explain how satisfying for me to see a film censor go through a full blown meltdown!

Censor is written and directed by Prano Bailey-Bond along with co-writer Anthony Fletcher. Its produced by Helen Jones. The cinematography is Annika Summerson, editing by Mark Towns, music composition by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, casting by Nanw Rowlands, production deign by Paulina Rzeszowska, art direction by Philip A. Brown, set decoration by Bronwyn Franklin, costume design by Saffron Cullane, and hair and makeup design by Ruth Pease. It features Niamh Algar, Erin Shanagher, Clare Holman, Michael Smiley, Adrian Schiller, Felicity Montagu, Sophia La Porta, Vincent Franklin, Beau Gadsdon, Andrew Havill, Guillaume Delaunay, and Nicholas Burns. The story revolves around film censor Enid (Algar) who takes pride in her meticulous job. But when a gruesome murder is linked to her lack of censorship, she starts to lose control. And her situation is worsened when a film producer directs her to a film which shows her what shes hiding underneath her harsh exterior.

In my honest opinion, when it comes to talking about artform, no matter what it is, if you dont have anything constructive to say, dont say anything at all. The only exceptions are government sponsored propaganda and if something has been made by a criminal. That you can bash without any restraint. But anything other than that should be discussed in a sensible fashion while understanding the pitch and tone of the product. If you view everything through the same lens of tradition/sanskaar and then censor it because you think it will hurt the general public because according to you theyre too dumb to discern between reel and real, its you who is going to look like a prick and not the art itself. And Prano and Fletcher highlight all that throughout the first act of the film. The next two acts are, for the lack of a better word, complicated.

From the second act, the movie becomes incredibly subjective regarding its commentary on film, society, and everything in between them. On one hand, after subtly gatekeeping the art of filmmaking, Prano and Fletcher do not hold back while showcasing the lecherous aspects of the industry through Enids eyes as she is subjected to casual sexism and gross advances. In doing so, they show whats actually in need of correction. On the other, through Enids arc, the writers also say that movies are merely a reflection of reality. If its beautiful, its because the world is beautiful. If its ugly, its because the world is ugly. If its detached from reality, then its because we as a species are doing exactly that. As simple as that. So, everytime you point a finger at art for being provocative, its important to look within and question what exactly is that piece of art provoking?

The only problem I have with the movie is the pacing during the end of the second act and the beginning of the third act. It drags and it drags really hard. I know that Prano wants to give it a very hypnotic and delirious vibe, and it does have that vibe. But there comes a point, which I am not explaining because I dont want to explain anything, where the plot doesnt really move forward. Enid kind of aimlessly wanders around between reality and the mazes in her brain and that churning, in my opinion, didnt add anything to the movie. Thats why I have deducted 0.5. I think that if that part wasnt there and the narrative wouldve jumped to the gut punch of a third act, it wouldve been absolutely perfect. I know how this sounds contradictory to the point I made earlier but I am being as constructive as I can.

Summerson, along with Rzeszowska, Brown, Cullane, Pease and Franklin, have done some excellent work to give Censor a period-accurate look while also mimicking the shlocky aesthetic that the protagonist/antagonist is trying to dissect. In any other film, I think I wouldve critiqued some of the unmotivated lighting. But in this case, it works! Thats an understatement. It slaps! It bangs! It f*cks! This is one of the best looking horror films I have seen in recent times. And the scene-to-scene editing, featuring some brilliant J-cuts (Its where the sound from a scene overlaps the visuals of the next scene), is engaging as hell! The score by Emilie just adds to the hyper-unreal atmosphere of the movie. Also, since I am a sucker for movies messing with the frame of the movie to allude to the shift in the mood of the narrative, I literally squealed out of excitement when that happened during the closing moments of the film!

Side-note: I think this is has some of the best fictional films within a film.

When a performance involves physical mannerisms that gel perfectly with the nature of the character and reminds me of some of the physical mannerisms that I have, it scares me more than any jumpscare in the world. Algars Enid has two. One is where she kind of stretches her shoulders. And the second is where she scratches her thumb with her index finger. I do both of those things on a daily basis and in the movie, those two things have very negative connotations (Which I am again not going to spill because I dont want to spoil the movie for you!). Algar plays out those tics so effortlessly that it genuinely sent a shiver down my spine because it made me think if I am this person and if I have something dark lurking within me that is manifesting itself through said tics. Food for thought!

Apart from that, I really dont want to dive too deep into Algars performance because Ill probably end up giving important details. So, just take my word for it that she has given a powerhouse performance. I am aware of the fact that the jury members of many awards fail to acknowledge good acting in a horror film, especially if it is by a woman. Thats why I dont have any high hopes from them. But I assure you that I will keep recommending it to anyone and everyone who comes across me so that they can give Algar the love she deserves for her acting chops. I will go on a limb and say this: I will be rooting for Prano to make a sequel to Censor so that Algar can reprise the role of Enid and dissect her inner workings of her mind. How does that sound? Does that sound good? Then lets please make it happen!

As mentioned before, Censor is a hugely relevant movie, especially from the perspective of an Indian like me because my country is descending into this pit of stupidity and holding art accountable while ignoring the real problem i.e. sexism, lack of education, employment, fascism, etc. So, I am glad that Prano, Algar, and the team behind the movie gave me some form of catharsis by attacking the institutions which really love censorship. And like every festival film, I sincerely hope that it gets a wider, theatrical or OTT release so that people also see that no amount of censorship is going to stop the horror that resides within us.

SEE ALSO: Sundance CODA Review - A Teen Drama That Also Shows How Society Treats The Differently Abled

Cover image courtesy: Sundance Film Festival 2021

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Sundance 'Censor' Review: A Surreal Horror Film That's So Relevant Due To The Rise In Censorship - Mashable India

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero