Review by Quin
Contracted is an amazing film. I have rarely ever been at a loss for words, but it took me over a week after I watched this to start writing down my thoughts. In that time I actually watched it a second time, which is something I never do. There is already a huge amount of buzz about this film and it can now be seen in its post-theatrical VOD run, as it is now streaming on Netflix in the US.
I want to start out by saying what a huge fan I am of Najarra Townsend. I first saw her almost a decade ago in the brilliant Miranda July film Me and You and Everyone We Know. Then in 2009, she was in a horror film called Dawning, which I reviewed a couple years ago in my personal blog. I really loved that movie as well. In Contracted, she returns to horror, but this time she gets to be both scared and scary. With her acting ability, she is more than capable of what this role demands.
Contracted opens with some necrophilia inside a morgue. We don’t see who is committing the act, and most of it is only implied, but at the same time it’s pretty unmistakable what is going on. Plus, it is the scene that explains everything that follows from that point on. After the opening credits we are plopped smack dab in the middle of Samantha’s (played by Townsend) life. We see her entering a party while leaving a phone message to her girlfriend. It is during this party that we start to find out who she is. She seems to have had some problems with addiction and there seems to be some kind of rift between her and her girlfriend. Also, there is a male acquaintance who has a huge crush on her, and she clearly wants nothing to do with him. Her close female friend clearly has the hots for her as well, and immediately tries to get her drunk. This leads to Samantha getting even more drunk, and a mysterious stranger, whose face is blurred and obscured every time he’s on screen, makes his way over to her and roofys her drink. In the next scene she is in a car with him. We can hear things start to get hot and heavy at which point Samantha starts to tell him to stop. The stranger continues.
The next day, Samantha wakes up not really sure what happened the night before. But she immediately starts to feel unwell. At first it’s severe cramps and auditory hallucinations. Then it becomes more serious when she thinks she has started her period, but there is so much blood. She develops a rash and weird blue veiny lines in her skin. Then her eyes start to change. She visits her doctor, who is male, and he tells her to put moisturizer on the rash. Apart from that, he seems stumped and more concerned with her sexual habits than her physical well being.
I think I’ll stop there in giving my plot synopsis. Things escalate in all areas and the situation turns very nasty. As much as I love to watch horror movies that are fun, the ones that challenge you intellectually are ultimately more rewarding. This is one of those films. Contracted is much deeper than the simple plot will lead you to believe. The subtext has so much to say about female sexuality. It deals with the male attitude toward female sexuality, as well as the way a young lesbian is treated by her doctor and her overly religious single mother (played by Caroline Williams, the radio DJ in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.)
I was rather shocked to read in the New York Times, the headline for their review of Contracted was “A nightmare of a one-night stand. In Contracted, Najarra Townsend makes a poor decision.” Shame on you, New York Times. A woman doesn’t decide to be raped. She was under the influence of something, but it was still rape. Peer pressure ultimately lead to the rape, but it’s still not Samantha’s fault. And for those of you wondering, I would hardly call this film a cautionary tale. It’s still very much a horror film. It’s filled with Cronenbergesque body horror, much of which is really gross. And it has an ending that doesn’t resolve much, but will make horror fans very happy. But while Contracted is thoughtful and well made, it’s definitely one that will put most viewers in a somber mood. I would still urge you not to miss it.
Contracted is available now on VOD in the US, via IFC Midnight.