The film “Honeymoon” (in the English version of Elizabeth Harvest) was released in 2018.
Fresh sci-fi thriller directed by Sebastian Gutierrez will definitely not leave anyone indifferent after viewing.
Plot
Clean look. Picturesque landscape. Their story began beautifully, even too ideally. He is a wealthy successful scientist in “old age”, she is a charming young dreamer with red curls. You can’t imagine a better situation, everything seems to be shrouded in a wonderful dream. Such a plot suggests to the sophisticated viewer that behind the verified, polished picture is a crazy maniac, luring poor, unsuspecting ladies to his lair.
By the way, about the house. This is a luxurious multi-storey penthouse surrounded by natural scenery from all sides. Elizabeth – the main character – enters inside (or rather her husband carries her in her arms) with some apprehension. She is met by the housekeeper Claire and the young son Oliver, who turns out to be blind. The girl here feels not quite at ease. Husband – Henry Hellenberg – immediately after the wedding night suddenly goes on a business trip, without explaining anything. He allows his wife to do absolutely everything in his house, except for one thing – under no pretext can you go into some room in the basement.
Elizabeth explores the premises, stumbles upon a chic wine cellar, examines the paintings for a long time, while managing to exchange a few words with Claire, who seems to be a condescendingly cold heroine. But the forbidden fruit is so sweet, and curiosity takes its toll. Harvest nevertheless opened the door of the “secret room”, which she immediately regretted. Equipped with the latest technology, the room opens up to her from a terrifying side and shows in one of the living capsules an exact copy of the girl herself.
With a terrible cry, she runs out of there, leaving everything as it is, and managing to get hurt at the same time. Henry, who arrived from a business trip, quickly realizes what the matter is, and approaches the victim with vague phrases, noticing the cut and the obvious falseness in words and behavior.
This is where the real hunt for Elizabeth, who solved the mystery, unfolds. Alas, not in her favor – the distraught Hellenberg overtakes and hacks his chosen one with a machete. Together with his subordinates, he buries the corpse in the backyard.
Another look, a landscape. Happy couple entering the house. We have already seen this somewhere. The scenario repeats itself with amazing accuracy, only this time Elizabeth manages to confront her pursuer – she stabs him with a kitchen knife. Here the viewer is already beginning to guess something. For example, about the unsuccessful cloning of Henry’s deceased wife Elizabeth, who has several copies, about the hostage of the situation, Claire, who is in love with a scientist. Here comes the unraveling of a mystery that was carefully kept in Claire’s five-year diary.
The meaning of the film
The plot unfolds incrementally. At the beginning, we get, at first glance, a typical sweet story that will unfold linearly, but the further we go, the more unpredictable turns the viewer gets.
Many mirrors are involved, and in one of the scenes, the unintelligent heroine even tried to kiss her own reflection. This is an element of self-knowledge. Even the theme of cloning is one big metaphor for the eternal human problem of understanding oneself.
At the very end, two versions of the girls are in conflict with each other, and one kills the other with a gun. As in ordinary life, a person cannot always agree with himself, which greatly harms him.
But if we abstract from science fiction, then we can also find the problem of unhealthy love, as a result of which the destructive power of human selfishness is manifested. Henry missed his young wife and the emotions he felt with her so much that he was ready to give up his moral values, use his partner and even commit murders, all in the name of his whim.
Characteristics of heroes
The actor who played Henry Hellenberg, Ciarán Hinds, is an amazing combination of an unpredictable antagonist and a deranged scientist. He showed the story of a talented person with a deep emotional trauma, who is trying to patch it up in such a desperate way. Without Claire, who solved the code, nothing would have happened. She was hopelessly in love with the villain and was absolutely aware of her second position.
The incomparable Abby Lee did an excellent job playing the role of a newborn girl exploring the world of a girl. Together with her, the viewer experiences a whole storm of emotions: fear, joy, misunderstanding, awareness, relief. The heroine goes through the stages from an unintelligent fetus to a developed, critically thinking person. Her choice each time gains firmness and confidence, and in the end she ceases to be a puppet in the hands of others and becomes the sole mistress of her own destiny.
The only character representing the outside world is Inspector Logan (Dylan Baker) – corrupt and so inactive.
As for Oliver (Matthew Beard), his true nature is not clear here: is he really Henry’s son or is he a youthful copy created for a young wife? But given his feelings for Elizabeth, he’s more of a juvenile archetype of a scientist. At first, he helps the surviving girl, but then locks her in a room, after lying to another version of his wife. The viewer can relate to this character in their own way, the director’s idea could be quite like that.
reminiscences
With its authentic atmosphere, the film is reminiscent of footage from Kubrick’s The Shining. The scenes of chasing the girl through the huge house are very similar to the pursuit of Wendy by Jack. The tension of the atmosphere and the solidity of the interior seem to hint at the doom of the victim.
Conclusion
No matter how confusing the story is, there will always be those who want to unravel it. Sebastian Gutierrez’s film prompts a rethinking of many things, such as awareness of one’s place in the world, relationships with people around. The non-clichéd development of events will undoubtedly draw you to the screen, and the aesthetic visuals will make you not miss a second of viewing.
