Hoard: Film Review
Luna Carmoon‘s feature directorial debut Hoard is unusual, sad and unsettling.
This drama tells the story of Maria (Lily-Beau Leach), a young girl who grew up with compulsive hoarder Cynthia (Hayley Squires). One day, Maria is tragically ripped apart from her mum and placed with a foster mother named Michelle (Samantha Spiro). The story then jumps forward 10 years and shows how that grief and trauma has affected Maria (now played by Saura Lightfoot Leon).
There is a revelation about her birth mum that unroots her and sends her spiralling. The grief is renewed and fresh, compounded by the fact that school has ended and she has nothing to do, her best pal Laraib (Deba Hekmat) has moved away and Michelle’s former foster child Michael (Joseph Quinn) has returned for a visit and has plenty of baggage of his own.
Hoard is deeply strange and uncomfortable but it has to be – you’re watching someone unravel in front of your eyes. Maria and Michael seem to have this unspoken connection between them through their shared trauma and they do weird, gross and inappropriate things together. They seem to enable and exacerbate each other’s problems. It was a struggle to watch at times knowing you’re watching two people slowly lose their grip on reality and descend into madness.
Leon is a remarkable newcomer. Maria has such a unique way of speaking and moving her body and she has this awkward, unusual vibe. I understood why she was like it and why she behaved that way thanks to her backstory. But we don’t get much information about Michael and I didn’t truly get him. What was his deal?!
Hoard isn’t an easygoing watch – it is weird and made me feel quite sad – but it’s a bold and distinctive film that establishes Carmoon as an interesting voice.
In cinemas from Friday 17th May