Written and directed by Frieda Luk, three estranged siblings reunite in rural Italy after the middle sister has been released from psychiatric treatment following a breakdown, one she experienced as a deep spiritual awakening. As this troubled young woman behaves more erratically and relationships fracture, the local community takes on an unexpected significance as power dynamics shift and change. Starring: Olivia Luccardi, James Cusati-Moyer, Romina D’Ugo, Antonio De Matteo and Pia Engleberth.
One of the most interesting ways to watch Sacred Creatures would be to go in absolutely cold, because it’s highly unlikely that if you were to know nothing about it, you would predict at all where it was going. The story which Frieda Luk has crafted is intriguingly unusual in the sense that it has such a curious, questioning quality and it’s delivered in a way that’s natural and with an open perspective. It’s a unique combination, so many stories like this would have chosen Olivia Luccardi’s Miriam as the lead and told it through her eyes, so instead to see it told through their sibling dynamic, is really interesting.
A big part of the strength of Sacred Creatures in building its distinctive, relatively niche, atmosphere is the performances. Olivia Luccardi is fantastic, there’s no way to definitively understand Miriam, her choices or even her personality, she’s a complete enigma and it’s fascinating to watch. Luccardi gives her such undefinable qualities to create this mysterious character, and open up a conversation about perspective, mental health and belief. Especially as she never lets Miriam land in one space, whether she’s a hundred percent believer, whether she enjoys the attention and she’s playing into it, whether she’s in a stable or unstable state, whether she’s completely dumb or secretly clever, it’s all nicely up in the air.
That then provides really interesting ground for James Cusati-Moyer and Romina D’Ugo as her siblings Ray and Michelle to get completely lost within. It creates a gradual spiral for them to question their own perspectives and choices, fracturing them as they go. Especially with D’Ugo’s Michelle as she has such a traditionally structured, neat personality, so to throw her in the deep end of spirituality is a fun challenge. While Cusati-Moyer’s Ray has an emotional personality so while he initially tries to embrace things, that can only take him so far.
Another part of the curious tone of Sacred Creatures is how those three interact with one another, the ground never settles. It’s always a little bit uncomfortable, right from the start and that only intensifies as time goes on. Luk fills the atmosphere with their resentments, frustrations, disagreements, competitiveness and pettiness, it’s dense and charged. Then as the film progresses Luk translates that into a form of mystery and makes some unusual creative choices in the storytelling.
Sacred Creatures is shot well, the cinematography from Nicolas Villegas has a certain gentleness to it that gives this story plenty of breathing room to discover itself rather than telling you where it’s going. Frieda Luk’s directorial style is curious and strange yet grounded, there’s so many ways this could have gone completely off the rails but visually, it remains interestingly understated. The story is unique, it takes some creative risks and while not all of them might pan out, it’s also very easy to respect Luk’s intentions in trying something different and distinctive, especially with this being her debut feature. The performances from the core trio are terrific, and they find great support in Antonio De Matteo and Pia Engleberth who add even more personality into the mix. It’s bizarre, mysterious and feels like an interesting exploration of how people become symbols of something bigger, and how quickly, particularly in the age of social media.
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