Clock Review - An Uneven Psychological Horror
The film Clock, which Alexis Jacknow both wrote and directed, centres on accomplished interior designer Ella (Dianna Agron) who is pleased with her childless status and her happy marriage. However, Ella's friends who have decided to start families disparage her and her reasons for doing so, and her Jewish father Joseph (Saul Rubinek) implores her to carry on the family tradition. Ella becomes uneasy and suspicious as a result of a collision between society and faith. Is she mistaken? The viewer is aware that Ella is correct, but she succumbs to peer pressure, social pressure, and societal pressure to participate in a cutting-edge therapeutic trial in an effort to revive what she thinks is her dormant desire to be a mother.
The film's strong and fascinating storyline explains why Ella is under pressure. Society views a career woman who chooses not to have children as selfish and careless. Because judaism is matrilineal, she is made to feel as though she has a responsibility to transmit the faith. Additionally, Ella's father instills in her the value of remembering the Holocaust victims. The story provides a realistic view of the numerous difficulties a woman has when it comes to procreation, and Jacknow does a fantastic job of showing how unique these problems are to our protagonist. The inclusion of Jewish actors Dianna Agron and Saul Rubinek—the latter being the offspring of Holocaust survivors—makes this message all the more poignant.
The film's strong and fascinating storyline explains why Ella is under pressure. Society views a career woman who chooses not to have children as selfish and careless. Because judaism is matrilineal, she is made to feel as though she has a responsibility to transmit the faith. Additionally, Ella's father instills in her the value of remembering the Holocaust victims. The story provides a realistic view of the numerous difficulties a woman has when it comes to procreation, and Jacknow does a fantastic job of showing how unique these problems are to our protagonist. The inclusion of Jewish actors Dianna Agron and Saul Rubinek—the latter being the offspring of Holocaust survivors—makes this message all the more poignant.
The intriguing horror film Clock contains all the standard ingredients, yet the annoying sounds of her purported pals bugging her and the absurd pseudoscience that motivates Dr. Elizabeth Simmons' (Melora Hardin) study are far more disturbing than the jump scares and hallucinations. The most stunning episode in Ella's explanation of how honouring Holocaust survivors through reproducing has less to do with them and more to do with the fear of it happening again is when she lists the various reasons a woman might not wish to have a child.
The horror movie Clock shows that Jacknow is a talent to watch, but it doesn't quite land. On occasion, the concept is overextended, especially when the character development is poor. But Jacknow is successful in putting us in a stressful situation. With Clock's remarkable thematic work, the writer-director will certainly get better at using characters in her stories that resonate because of their growth rather than just the ideas that make them up. Despite Ella being rather hollow, there is enough in the plot to captivate the audience and make them sympathetic to her situation. Jacknow is aware that when terror is grounded in reality, it is considerably more horrifying.
The horror movie Clock shows that Jacknow is a talent to watch, but it doesn't quite land. On occasion, the concept is overextended, especially when the character development is poor. But Jacknow is successful in putting us in a stressful situation. With Clock's remarkable thematic work, the writer-director will certainly get better at using characters in her stories that resonate because of their growth rather than just the ideas that make them up. Despite Ella being rather hollow, there is enough in the plot to captivate the audience and make them sympathetic to her situation. Jacknow is aware that when terror is grounded in reality, it is considerably more horrifying.