Very thought provoking

I found the style and editing to be a little underwhelming for a story that could have otherwise been incredibly compelling. There’s an extended sequence about 2/3 into the movie where the women rise up against the abusers on the island that I thought was really incredible and indicative of what the rest of the film could have been, but it wasn’t able to keep that momentum all the way to the end either.

This was such a different movie than I was expecting, in the best possible way. It’s an excellent demonstration of how the horror genre is about so much more than just jump scares and gruesome violence. 

…
- not as actively scary as I expected
- still ultimately one of the most horrifying films I’ve seen

- beautiful performances from the whole cast. Particularly Bautista

What a treat! This story really takes its time introducing you to the characters and developing a relationship with them. It had an inescapably “blustery” feeling to it in a way that makes it perfect for a gray autumn/winter day when you want to be curled under a blanket. 

There were so many little tidbits of humor, love, chosen family intermixed with loss, poverty, and hardship. Somehow it manages to enjoy the small moments of good in life while not minimizing the bad. It was really just so sweet.