Written and directed by Vilan Trub, when a woman receives the possessions of her recently deceased, estranged mother, her husband discovers an heirloom doll made in a Nazi factory during World War II. Starring: Alexander Kollar, Maya Murphy, Dino Castelli, Andrew Steiner, Joshua Danskin, Sadie Stone, David Beckles Jr., Frances Karagio and Shauna Lane.
Mamochka opens on a note that feels perfectly drawn from horror cinema of the 1970s and 1980s, especially with the nicely spooky score sat atop it. It’s that classic tone of something is immediately amiss with plenty of foreboding. It was a great choice from Vilan Trub to give a good idea of what’s in store with Mamochka as it does definitely throw back to films of that era.
Particularly in how Alexander Kollar leads the film, creating a grounded, relatable character. The everyday nature to Kollar’s performance is a big part of what drives Mamochka, it keeps things at a great level, to bring through the ominous, sinister nature to the story in a more natural way. He also makes for an easy character to follow, he’s a decent person, cares for his family, and simply finds himself unaware of what he’s truly being drawn into. It’s a perfect recipe for danger and distress.
Creepy, possessed, maddening dolls are a staple of horror, having something that seems so insignificant and harmless instil so much violence and hate is an effective formula. With Mamochka, they do take advantage of that but the way that it’s employed feels somewhat messy. Partly because the Nazi angle seems unnecessary, it doesn’t feel intrinsically linked to the progression, more of a starting point to create a form of explanation for what follows, without really explaining things.
That’s arguably the key issue holding back Mamochka, the progression doesn’t feel natural. Using a back and forth timeline makes things a touch confusing, you can see the attempt to make you question what’s real and what isn’t, but that actually creates more of an obstacle to getting into the plot rather than enhancing it. What that then impacts in turn is the film’s ability to ramp up the fear and tension, it starts off well but they’re missing that build and intensity to help the story in its later moments.
Another part of that is introducing Dino Castelli’s ‘Mysterious Stranger’ because rather than adding to that doll-driven plot, it splinters away from it and makes you question how everything is related. The doll being the cause of everything feels somewhat tenuous to begin with, especially when it comes to the family’s son Brian who simply comes across as a boy with inherent issues rather than that he’s driven by any supernatural forces. So, while you can see what it’s going for, because it doesn’t move in an effective manner, it raises too many questions that stop you from simply enjoying it.
Mamochka has a great foundation, throwing it back to a beloved era of horror cinema, bringing things back down to earth and taking it back to a simpler time. It was a really solid idea, and it’s led by a strong performance from Alexander Kollar, who is nicely complemented by David Beckles Jr., their friendship is charming and helps to sell the story. However, the way that the story unravels is slightly jumbled, making it much less effective than it could have been. There isn’t a clear, consistent path from where the turmoil begins to the consequences which follow. The elements sadly just aren’t connected strongly enough for this to reach its full potential, but there are plenty of interesting choices and a lot of great intentions.
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