A Blurred Message

Read Time:2 Minute, 45 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
On the Edge
–

Genre: Horror
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 54m
Director(s): Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska (The Soska Sisters)
Writer(s): Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Cast: Sophie Buddle, Ola Dada, Ivan Decker, Alanna Finn-Morris, Brianne Finn-Morris, Mackenzie Gray, Andrea Jin, Aramis Sartorio, Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska
Where To Watch: Screening December 9, 2022, at venues in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide

RAVING REVIEW: This was a complex review for me to write; sometimes, it takes separating the art from the artist to have an unbiased view. I fought this battle about focusing solely on the “art” or using my voice.

I guess by mentioning that, I’ve already lost my battle. For all of the good that “The Soska Sisters” have done and stood for, in the end, it’s the company they keep that can speak volumes. I won’t go into detail; there are plenty of articles online debating the right and wrong of who they associate with and what they say. I can only say that the current situation that Ye (born Kanye West) has caused recently only brings the sister’s past back to the surface (although they almost look good by comparison.) For all of the good that “The Soska Sisters” have done and stood for, in the end, it’s the company they keep that can speak volumes.

Now that we have that out of the way, this film “is something,” and I still don’t know if that’s good or bad. While I’ve known the name “The Soska Sisters” for years, it wasn’t until recently that I watched a film by them. I was shocked in the best way possible; AMERICAN MARY (even with its flaws) was a breath of fresh air into a genre that I found pretty stale. I love horror, but that’s a double-edged sword, as it takes something special to make me appreciate entries I haven’t seen before.

I don’t even know that I would so much call ON THE EDGE a horror film. I could spend hundreds of words going in-depth with artfully crafted thoughts on what this film is. At the surface level, it’s about learning lessons the hard way. Suppose you want a deeper dive into the method behind the madness. In that case, plenty of reviewers are entirely sesquipedalian (used to describe someone or something that overuses big words) in their reviews, and obviously, that was intentional.

In closing, this film had a lot of potential for the message it was trying to convey. Although technically, it felt lightyears behind the now decade-old AMERICAN MARY, with issues in lighting, sound, camerawork, and especially some moments where the acting felt like something you’d see in a B movie. I’m curious because I’ve heard positive reactions to their 2019 film RAPID (if you’ve seen it, please let me know your thoughts.)

For more reviews and my YouTube channel, please visit linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews

Follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of CATHASAIGH PRODUCTIONS]