Film Review - It Lives Inside
Images courtesy of Madman Entertainment.
Struggling to gain acceptance amongst her peers, an Indian American teenager attempts to assimilate by embracing a new westernised persona whilst rejecting her familial roots. However, when she unwittingly releases a malevolent demonic entity which feeds on negative emotions – she must reconcile with her cultural insecurities in order to vanquish the beast. Bishal Dutta’s feature debut It Lives Inside ambitiously strives to offer a fresh angle which infuses western horror with a Dharmic folkloric perspective. However, its potential is ultimately stifled by a frail narrative and an overreliance on overused horror tropes – rendering its bark to be worse than its bite.
Samidha (Megan Suri) is a second-generation Indian American teen struggling to navigate a delicate balance between her cultural roots and her newfound western identity. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Sam (as she prefers to be called) often clashes with her mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) as she becomes increasingly alienated from her Indian heritage – whilst her recently befriended white cohort view Sam’s Hindi fluency as a mere novelty. Meanwhile, her estranged best friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), also an Indian American, has become an outcast; often wandering the halls muttering incoherently whilst peculiarly cradling a blackened mason jar. After a heated confrontation ensues when Sam rejects Tamira's plea for help, the jar is smashed to bits, and well, you can probably see where this is going. It’s time to meet the Pishach, a malevolent folkloric entity which feeds on flesh and souls – and it’s very hungry.
It’s important to recognise that It Lives Inside does gleam in some ways. Despite some shortcomings in hollow characterisation, the performances truly shine, particularly in regard to both Suri and Krishnan. Additionally, the Pishach is a genuinely frightening creature, always lurking in the shadows but never hesitating to bare its gnarled teeth. However, It Lives Inside disappointingly relies upon tired tropes that severely detract the potential gained from such an intriguing concept, opting to course correct via a lacklustre attempt in misdirection which instead muddies the narrative. One can’t help but consider that in comparison to other features born of folkloric influence, where does this film falter where others have soared? The utilisation of Hindu mythos and Indian customs add a welcome degree of depth, but it’s not enough to salvage its dizzying narrative from such a conventional approach.
Overall, It Lives Inside illustrates itself to be a unique conceptual endeavour which struggles under the weight of its own potential. Although somewhat competent in facets of its execution, it ultimately sabotages its potency and settles upon a derivatively restrained final product which unfortunately struggles to leave a lasting impression. Like the ravenous beast trapped inside the mason jar, it feels like the rich conceptual and thematic tapestry that this film promises is instead confined within a standardised formulaic approach, rendering its visceral potential to be somewhat benign.
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It Lives Inside is screening in cinemas from Thursday 21st September. For tickets and more info, click here.