PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I have to start this review by saying that The Cleanse grabbed me from the get-go. The tone of the movie leans toward a Wes Anderson creation, combined with an early Tim Burton-esque feel, and finally sprinkled with some of Alexander Payne’s visual cues for good measure. Considering this is his feature length film debut, writer/director Bobby Miller (Tub, End Times) has really outdone himself on this one.
Paul Burger (John Galecki: Roseanne TV series, The Big Bang Theory TV series) is still existentially wrought over his recent breakup with his fiance. He hears a commercial on TV that will change his life forever. The ad is for the Roberts Institute, which promises a new life after The Cleanse Process.
When Paul visits the institute, he notices the enigmatic Maggie (Anna Friel: Limitless 2011) sitting alone. The group they’re in is asked to share a painful memory from their past. Maggie tells the tale of finding her husband after he committed suicide with a shotgun, immediately breaking down into tears afterwards. Paul stands up and tells the group about how he lost the job and woman he loved. After the various tests, he runs into Maggie in the hallway where she flatly tells him that the whole husband story was a fake, made up to deceive the organizers and abruptly walks away.
To Paul’s delight, he and Maggie get paired up, and soon Eric (Kyle Gallner: Jennifer’s Body 2009) and his girlfriend, Laurie (Diana Bang: The Interview 2014), arrive as well. After being coaxed by the mysterious bellowing, Lily (Anjelica Huston: The Addams Family 1991) to “let it out!”, the members are supplied with their own personal cleansing kit made up of four jars of colored, terrible tasting concoctions specifically formulated for each of them, and they are warned that they must finish them all by the end of the day. No outside food, and they must not share their drinks.
In the evening, Paul is not feeling well, and he vomits the last of his concoctions into the sink. Passing out on the bed, the scene ends with a foreshadowing tracking shot going down the drain. The next morning Paul finds that what he expelled the night before has given birth to something he never signed for.
What comes next is a story so fantastical, with a creature feature element that just might make this the best small film that Sony films has put out in a long time.
Final thoughts on The Cleanse
The Cleanse is a fantastic example of a big studio taking a chance on an artistic, odd, and original tale. This film is exactly the kind of movie I have been waiting to see for a long time. It’s funny, quirky, and sad at times. The Cleanse really addresses things that everyday people go through and keep hidden in their lives. The story puts a fantastical spin on how hard it is to let go of even the most painful things. It teaches us that those negative experiences that hurt us so deeply are still a part of us, and letting go of them is like losing a part of ourselves.
