Review: ‘Get Away’ swerves when you least expect it
Steffen Haars’ new feature is the year’s first big surprise.
Throw out every expectation you have about Steffen Haars’ Get Away. The director masks the story beneath a Midsommar-like cult tale about a family who takes a holiday to Sweden and meets a mysterious commune. But things are never as they seem when the happy-go-lucky family discovers a serial killer lurking on the island. What transpires next is a bloody romp that flips every single convention on its head, leaving you aghast and chortling.
Richard (Nick Frost) and his family – wife Susan (Aisling Bea), daughter Jessie (Maisie Ayers), and son Sam (Sebastian Croft) – have been needing a break from their lives for a while now. What a year they’ve had! Settling on an escape to a secluded Swedish island, they hope to recharge and regain some perspective. But Jessie and Sam are begrudgingly along for the ride, longing for cell service (or at least Wifi) to get them through the much slower, boring lifestyle.
When the group arrives on the island’s shores, they’re greeted by a devoted fellowship that warns them they are simply not welcome among their ranks. Richard and Susan brush off their portents for nonsense and relax in their rental home. Now owned by Matts (Eero Milonoff), the estate could not be more warm and inviting. But the family’s vacation quickly goes awry after Matts offers them a plate of cookies – and all is shockingly revealed.
From Frost to Craft, the cast commits to the bit through situational humor and plenty of wordplay. On a script written by Frost, the film doesn’t waste a single frame and delivers a third act that packs a punch, spewing blood, guts, and body parts. The tonal shift is jarring but well-earned. As you settle into the film’s new groove, Frost and Haars toss in another twist that’s equally eyebrow-raising.
With cinematographer Joris Kerbosch in tow, Haars weaves in delicate mood and atmosphere into the proceedings. What would otherwise be a ho-hum cult film gets a boost through a keen sense of style, framework, and shot composition. Naturally, the twist(s) give the story a heavy dose of the unexpected, without which the film would simply fall apart. As it stands, Get Away is easily the year’s first big surprise.
Get Away is now streaming on Shudder.
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