Gothic horror collides with coming-of-age drama in Danish writer/director Nicolai G.H. Johansen’s striking short film, Inherent. Wholly absent of dialogue, the film follows a teenage girl (Sandra Guldberg Kampp) as she struggles between her duties serving the mysterious vampiric creature in her attic and her growing infatuation with a teenage boy (Noah Skovgaard Skands). The film made its world premiere as part of Critics’ week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The opening minutes firmly establish the intersection of genres as the film slowly zooms in on a crow eating a fresh carcass, then cuts to the girl staring keenly across the street at the boy. Thanks to the eerie transition, her gaze initially feels somewhat predatory and disturbing. Are her desires lethal or innocent? Will she kill the boy or kiss him?
Every day, our silent protagonist walks to town from her isolated, rural abode. The house would have once been considered quaint with its bright, colourful walls, but time has worn the place down beyond repair and the blood everywhere condemns it. In town, the girl sticks out her thumb for a ride, all the while gazing across the street at the boy. We quickly discover that her hitchhiking is a ruse to lure her victims. While we never see her kill them onscreen, we see the aftermath as the girl meticulously stores the blood, disposes of the remains, and delivers jars of blood up to the attic.
The vampiric creature remains an ominous, unseen presence throughout the film; rasping sounds and a red glow emanating from the attic are the only signs of it. The girl is evidently bound to the creature in some way, perhaps as its familiar. However, as her feelings for the boy develop, her desire to live more freely and connect with the boy directly conflicts with her Gothic environment, and she begins pushing back against her twisted obligations.
Gorgeously shot on film, Inherent contains many elements of Gothic literature mixed with contemporary coming-of-age drama. Typical of the Gothic genre, the film evokes feelings of suspense and fear, creating an eerie atmosphere for its somewhat-anti-hero protagonist, a brooding girl plagued by inner turmoil and frightening dreams living in isolation under the authority of the vampiric spirit looming just out of sight. The genre aligns well with Johansen’s style, as his director’s statement expresses his cinematic interest in mood, atmosphere and isolated characters “struggling to connect to the world.” And yet, his interests also align with coming-of-age drama, as the teenage protagonist struggles with an emotional change as she yearns for freedom, acceptance in society, and the normalcy of teen romance.
Johansen deftly plays with the genres, subverting tropes to create something new and intriguing. The lack of dialogue directs our focus towards the haunting yet earnest atmosphere, carefully crafted through Johansen’s direction and beautiful cinematography from Sebastian Bjerregaard. The house is rundown and isolated, evoking a Gothic vibe, but Johansen subverts the gloomy, Gothic castles and ominous thunderstorms for cheerful wall colours and fields aglow in the summer sun. The girl lies awake at night, plagued by both nightmarish dreams in which she kills the boy and dreams of fantasy, picturing herself riding with the boy on his motorcycle, feeling at ease with her arms wrapped around him. Both dreams threaten to foreshadow reality, and the girl struggles with her newfound morality as she finds herself caught between opposing worlds and desires.
Inherent relies largely on visual techniques, as well as subtle scoring, to create a story rich with emotion, atmosphere, and understanding. The absence of dialogue is an effective choice that heightens the tension and emotion as we keenly watch the actors’ expressions and body language. Shooting on film elevates the atmospheric nature of Inherent and captures a gorgeous colour palette that evokes a sense of nostalgia which ties in well with coming-of-age themes. Narratively and visually, Inherent is a visceral treat for viewers.
Score: A-
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