The Film Thugs Movie Show

“Alice kept secrets. She kept the fact that she had secrets a secret.” This one line hints at only a fraction of what makes 2008’s Lake Mungo, from writer director Joel Anderson, worth your time and attention – your close attention.

With so much hype being laid at the feet of paranormal activities on either the big screen or, even more so, delivered by the gadget wielding and heavy hair gelled on TV these days, I have to admit that another “found footage” documentary style ghost movie was not what I was hankering for when I came across this title on Netflix. That said, I’m glad I gave this film a chance. Exploitation, cat scare and gags all have their entertaining place in ghost stories of any kind. Lake Mungo relies less on these devices to weave a subtler tale of what we all know truly exists after death: grief.

Shot in the style of a documentary, Lake Mungo features the Palmer family as they struggle with the drowning death of Alice Palmer and the strange events that follow. A death that Alice may have seen coming. The capturing of what appears to be Alice’s ghost in the family home on video only complicates the pain felt by her entire family. The family’s grief is further compounded by skeptical friends and neighbors trying to understand and come to terms with the Alice Palmer they all thought they knew so well. Alice’s death and haunting serve equal time as tragedy and catalyst for further secrets to be discovered.

The disciplined use of video, film, and still photography, particularly the family photos, along with a clever script slowly turns a Twin Peaks by way of The Blair Witch Project chiller into as much a family drama and potential murder mystery as it is ghost story. Incredibly natural performances from the cast solidify the film’s intimate feel as the story reveals itself at a methodical pace with grief affecting each character in different ways.

It is precisely this subtle approach and measured pace that will turn some away from this kind of movie. This is not a quick edit popcorn shocker. Lake Mungo is a fascinating and effective meditation on grief from this side and the other.

Clarkson Campbell

Resident Thug