By Nia Edwards-Behi
Hollow is a film I’ve been trying to see since last year, my desire to see it cemented by the fact that it features the rapper Suboi in a small role (niche, right?). Anyway, I was, naturally, particularly pleased to see it in the BIFFF line-up and I’m even more pleased to say that it did not disappoint. It surpassed all expectations, and was one of my favourite horror films at BIFFF.
Ai (Thanh My) is beloved by her family. When her sister Chi (Nguyen Hong An) momentarily turns her attention from her while she plays outside, the little girl drowns. The whole family is devastated, not least of all Chi. She’s got more problems too: she’s pregnant, and doesn’t want to be. A week after her death, Ai’s body is found. When her uncle police officer arrives to identify her, it turns out she might not be so dead after all. It soon becomes apparent that not all is quite right with Ai and it’s up to Chi to uncover some real-world secrets to discover the supernatural ordeal her sister is going through.
You might think Hollow sounds like standard horror fare, with a creepy kid and a distraught family and all that. In many ways it does play out a bit conventionally, but I only mean that in a good way – its conventions are very well done. Where Hollow excels is in its characters and its particular cultural location. The speed with which characters readily accept the possibility that Ai might be possessed is in line with their belief system – there’s no standing around arguing about whether or not to call a priest here, just get that girl to a temple and crack on with the ritual. This sense of cultural specificity is clear in the more real-world elements of the film too. When these two things merge at the film’s close it’s to great effect.
Needless to say, I found the film’s focus on female characters immensely refreshing. I know it’s often girls who get possessed in films like this, but it’s not really about Ai; it’s about Chi and her relationships to her various family members and then the women she discovers more about – dead and alive – as the film progresses. Certain things about her character actually threw me so much that I thought I had sussed out where the narrative was going – but not so. Nguyen Hong An gives a wonderful performance in a role that so easily could have been just ‘bratty teenager’. That performance is all the more impressive after learning that this is her debut film. It must also be said that Thanh My is also excellent, both as a regular little girl and after her return from the dead.
Hollow isn’t just praiseworthy for its characters and setting, though. It’s also just a very entertaining horror film. Yes, there are moments in which it resorts to a jump scare or an unnecessary stinger, but these moments are few and far between. Mostly, Hollow relies on a wonderfully eerie sense of atmosphere. This is down to some excellent direction and cinematography, as well as its strong performances. The film is also incredibly well-made and slick, something I confess I wasn’t expecting at all. The film’s climax is thrilling without being over-blown, and is immensely satisfying.
I can imagine Hollow being one of those great little films that get dumped on DVD with a change of title and a horribly Photoshopped cover that people might overlook because it’s yet another film about a possessed little girl. If you spot this one around, don’t pass it by – it’s a lot more than that.