Freaks

Freaks (2019) is a small budget science fiction film that deliberately begins with almost no information. The best way to see it is knowing nothing, so we will keep this short too. Seven year old Chloe is not allowed out of the house. She is told it is dangerous outside. The curtains stay shut, looking through windows is forbidden, and her father drills a false identity into her. She is both fascinated by the outside and terrified of it. The first half plays like a family drama, and the audience genuinely does not know whether the father is paranoid or correct. That uncertainty is the strongest thing in the film. Lexy Kolker was eight at the time and carries it. Emile Hirsch as the father makes no attempt to be sympathetic. When the second half turns fully into genre it cheapens slightly, and the budget starts to show. It runs 105 minutes. Good for: low budget science fiction, thrillers, and films built on withheld information. Do not watch the trailer first. Less good for: a child is kept in a state of constant fear and some scenes are hard. Anyone wanting spectacle will not find it.