Matriarch is a movie streaming on Hulu. It is written and directed by Ben Steiner. It stars Jemima Rooper and Kate Dickie.
Senseless wandering of the premise….
Premise
Afflicted with a mysterious disease after surviving an overdose, a woman returns to her childhood home to confront her personal demons but instead discovers a real one.
About the Movie
Horror movies work under a peculiar paradox: there are many being produced because they do not necessarily require a big budget, and perhaps, as a result, faced with the barrage of productions in the genre, they have to be really well made to stand out from the rest.
And, this is simply not the case with ‘Matriarch’, that has neither a convincing screenplay nor does it have a tempo that evokes interest in the viewer. Could it have been interesting? Perhaps if it had been approached from another angle, with a different formulation, the story might have worked. But not with a premise of scares that are clumsily carried out and with horror sequences that consist of not much more than raising the sound decibels rather than using other gimmicks.
On this occasion the characterizations do not work either, y not work due to a weak script rather than the quality of the performances (Jemima Rooper does really try, say some critics, to the point of overacting).
Matriarch has the veneer of being profoundly English, but only in the mannerisms. The pretentious formality of village inhabitants is but a structural frame, while the cinematographic postulate tends to veer towards B movie level.
It doesn’t have the English irony either, nor a subtext. The script punches or surprises are hardly elaborated, and the movie wanders off aimlessly, despite its relative short length. So that is what there is in this movie.
Our Opinion
Subpar in every aspect, but especially in one crucial element: the screenplay does not hold water.
Release Date
October 21, 2022.
Where to Watch ‘Matriarch’
Hulu.
Cast
 Jemima Rooper / Laura Birch |  Kate Dickie / Celia |  Simon Meacock / Leonard |
 Christina Cole |  Franc Ashman / Maxine |  Celinde Schoenmaker / Katrin |
Sarah Paul / Abi
Stephen DeRosa
Kate Lynn Evans
Nick Haverson / Gerald
See full credits >>