Respond to these rapid questions in our Separation quiz and we will tell you which Separation character you are. Play it now.
“Separation” by William Brent Bell is a dreadful piece of work, a film that fails miserably as both a domestic drama and a horror film, and it feels like the kind of thing that everyone involved will have to talk about in therapy someday to figure out why it was even made in the first place. “Separation” is directed by William Brent Bell, who also wrote and directed the film. A viciously misogynistic film that feels like the product of a drunken man in a bar wondering whether his ex-wife is so cruel that she will haunt him from beyond the grave. Critics in the ’20s were frequently accused of inserting political or social agendas into films that didn’t really deserve to be read that way, but the two main female characters in “Separation” are so poorly and cruelly defined solely in the context of the male lead that it’s almost as if the film is daring people to ignore them (especially when you add in that the only supportive characters are male colleagues to the protagonist). There’s no denying that even if you don’t believe it to be a blatantly sexist film, you can’t argue that it is a shallow one that is also almost defiantly light on scares, and that it ends with a twist that is somehow both depressingly obvious and completely ridiculous. Despite the fact that this has become something of a standard operating procedure for the director of “Brahms: The Boy II” and “The Devil Inside.” And this may well be his weakest film to date.
The first act of “Separation” is a fairly straightforward domestic drama in which Maggie Vahn (Mamie Gummer) comes to the conclusion that she has had enough of her slacker artist husband Jeff (Rupert Friend). When Maggie turns evil, as evidenced by several scenes that make it abundantly clear that at least one person involved in the production of this film went through a painful separation from his or her partner, he becomes a caricature of the man we’re supposed to admire but who may have spent a little too much time nurturing an artistic dream that doesn’t provide for the family but which we’re supposed to admire. But Maggie doesn’t just file for divorce; she also petitions for full custody of their daughter Jenny (Violet McGraw), primarily because Jenny is cruel, and she receives the support of Jenny’s wealthy father Paul (Brian Cox, who almost appears to be aware that he is above the whole ordeal). Maggie is walking into an intersection when she is struck by a speeding car, just as she is tearing Jeff down yet again on the phone. “Because she is mine,” are the last words spoken by this vicious woman before she dies.
Strange things begin to happen around Jeff and Jenny almost immediately, and it becomes clear that Maggie’s final words have implications for the afterlife. Once again, the basic premise of this film is “What if my ex-wife continued to attempt to ruin my life after she died?” Jenny and Jeff begin to see puppet-like creatures, which they believe are inspired by Jeff’s artwork for a project known as the Grizzly Kin (think early Tim Burton drawings). When it comes to cheap horror tricks like jump scares and even an actual double dream sequence, Bell can’t seem to keep his hands off the camera. This is something that I’m pretty sure was outlawed in 2003. Even worse, the scares in “Separation,” with the possible exception of Jeff’s initial encounter with a crab-walking puppet man (who responds only minimally), aren’t particularly frightening or memorable. The design doesn’t even have the surreal funhouse aesthetic that this project required from the beginning.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Separation quiz.
In part, this is due to the fact that it is barely trying. At the 50-minute mark, there has only been one scare scene and a slew of boring domestic drama scenes. I was almost tempted to yearn for the zaniness of the “The Boy” movies just to get a break from the monotony. Also included is a panic attack sequence that takes place during a park puppet show, which serves as the film’s stunningly incompetent focal point. As a bubble pops in slow motion, a red palette washes across the screen, creating the effect of a bad horror film parodized in reverse. In this context, the word “PUPPETS!” flashing across the screen would be completely appropriate. Despite the fact that I’m concerned that I’m making it sound more enjoyable than it actually is. It’s not true at all. Due to its monotony, it is suffocating to be around.
Separation Quiz
Friend and Cox, who previously appeared in “Homeland” and “Succession,” respectively, are overshadowed by the film’s poor writing and direction. The latter character is merely a plot device who remains in the film solely to be a part of the final-act stupidity. The former was under-directed to the point where even he appears to be bored at points. In this “Insidious” meets “Kramer vs. Kramer” mashup, there are no believable characters, no building tension, and no scares to be found. There are so many unanswered questions about how it happened.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Separation quiz.
The film is currently playing in theaters.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Courier Quiz.
