Keeper – Review

An odd opening showcases multiple smiling women seemingly throughout history, and then their moods change to a bit more unhappy or stressed. Screams finally finish this train of imagery. Uhh… okay…

Driving out to a very remote house in the woods is Dr. Malcom Westbridge (Sutherland) and his artist girlfriend Liz (Maslany). She is used to city life, but since they have been dating for almost a year, she is making the effort and escaping her comfort zone. She talks it over with her friend Maggie (Degenstein) who is mostly supportive.

As Liz gets to the house, it is super nice which helps her try and feel at home. Malcolm hangs one of her paintings on the wall and Liz notices the caretaker left him a cake, as well as another smaller house out back where ‘cousin Darren’ (Turton) lives. Thankfully his car isn’t around, so clearly, they won’t be bothered.

Overall, the setting is fairly serene and Liz relaxes with her beau. But… shit starts to get weird. Unsettling noises, terrifying surreal visions, and that fucking cake… who would have thought it could be sinister?!

I like more than I don’t about Keeper, but it does have some lower points. It moves very slowly and takes a while to develop its ideas. Despite that there are some decent tension-filled moments and very creepy imagery. The film may seem like a somewhat generic horror film for most of the ride, due to a lethargic development. Keeper is well enough shot however and decent to look at, and has some unique relationship symbolism all things considered.

The plot eventually goes to some interesting places, it just feels like a bit too little and too late after such a leisurely crawl to its driving plots. Tatiana Maslany is always superb, and she is once again a bright spot. The uneasiness and spots of terror leading up to its conclusion are okay and I did like the final resolution when it got there.

If you can handle the gradual ride, you may be okay with Keeper, but reviews are mostly down the middle on it with a lot of people complaining about most everything, so set expectations accordingly. The slowness didn’t throw me too off personally, and the core idea had its moments and there was some good horror bits, so it gets a pass.