“Don’t let her in.
In the aftermath of her husband’s death, widow Ramona’s struggle to raise her two kids is hindered by the arrival of a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities.” – Letterboxd Synopsis
What a slow, heartbreaking ride this movie was. I’ve been meaning to watch this for a while, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it, despite its meh-ness in some areas. I came away from this movie very moved emotionally. This struck a chord I wasn’t expecting, and it’s a movie I’ll probably never forget.
What you believe this movie to be about from its trailer and synopsis, you’re probably most of the way there. This is a slow burn that deals with grief and burden. Following a single mother (Ramona) as she deals with a new secluded house, her serious leg injuries, the recent loss of her husband, and two young children. And now a mysterious woman, draped in black sitting in her yard. How she deals with everything thrown at her in this movie is very interesting, mostly because it feels real. As the threat of the woman in the yard comes closer, it feels like Ramona loses more and more grip on herself and her household, and it can be a tough watch sometimes because of how real it is.
I want to get it out of the way that the kids are amazing. The young daughter does well, but to me, the son was such a standout. Being at that teenage age, in a new place, without your father and a mother who is clearly just barely holding on. You can feel the weight of the burden of responsibility bearing down on him throughout this movie. And for every mistake or action that he made, his intentions are pure, but he’s just a kid, you know? I loved his acting and this character.
The main character is Romona, whom I went through so many feelings about as I watched this. From sympathetic about her plight and current situation. To understanding of her wrongs and outbursts because she is in a tough spot physically and mentally. But when the first big reveal of this movie happens, I got angry at her. The whole time, I felt bad being angry at her, but it’s how I felt nonetheless. She is and has always been a deeply troubled person who has never found the answers, and the way the outbursts from that can manifest often come off as selfish, but when the next big reveal happened after some weird mind palace scenes. I not only came back to feeling sympathy, but I felt her hurt, her pain, her confusion. Portraying all of that was just absolutely brilliant, and I literally cried towards the end of this movie because of it.
The Woman in the yard is interesting to think about. Whether or not she was a manifestation of Romona’s mind made real or some type of spectral entity that latched onto her. The movie still reads the same, which is nice. She was as ominous and creepy as advertised, but also lowkey cool because of her shadow powers. She had the presence needed for this type of movie to make things interesting.
My biggest gripe with the movie is that some of the editing is just really weird. Some jarring cuts that confused me. They become even more jarring juxtaposed with the really good cuts and camera movements that this movie sometimes had. It just made the confusing scenes even more so. And at times, it made this serious movie feel really goofy and took me out for a second. It gets really bad during the last act, which is unfortunate.
So yeah, this movie is a slow burn for sure. Definitely has its faults, especially when it comes to the editing side. But man, when it all came together, when that slow burn paid off, I was deeply disturbed and deeply moved. This movie isn’t for everyone. I understand the mixed reviews. But for me, it hit me hard in a very personal spot, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
The Woman in the Yard – 8/10
