[Movie Review] THE AVIARY - Nightmarish Conjurings

Leaving a toxic relationship can be one of the most difficult things a person can do. The act of breaking that connection, that cycle, is an act of defiance. It is also an act full of complications. The most difficult of these complications can be internal. In order to escape successfully, the individual has to rip themselves from the internal loop. This becomes all the more difficult to do if they’ve ceded power over to someone else. THE AVIARY seems to tackle these ideas head-on, creating a subtle mind-fuck that will leave us guessing until the big reveal towards the end. That said, it doesn’t break any new ground, which is perfectly fine.

THE AVIARY stars Malin Akerman (“Dollface”, Watchmen), who also executive produced, alongside Lorenza Izzo (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels“, Knock Knock), and Chris Messina (I Care A Lot, “The Mindy Project”).

THE AVIARY follows two women, Jillian (Malin Akerman), and Blair (Lorenza Izzo), as they attempt to free themselves from a cult isolated out in the New Mexican desert. From the beginning, it is clear that there is an undercurrent of tension between the two women. In particular, coming from Blair directed toward the older Jillian. Jillian is the more positive of the two, relying on her childhood training to get them away. Blair is the more paranoid and, as it is revealed later on, has a much different relationship with Chris Messina’s Seth compared to Jillian.

It’s not long, though, before the two discover that they are looping back to where they started. And, no matter what they seem to do, they aren’t breaking that loop. It is then that writers/directors Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite lean into the psychological, and create a level of unreliability needed from the two characters to leave us wondering what is the actual truth of the situation. While sometimes it lingers too long, these moments are successful in allowing us to learn how much of a hold Seth has on the two women, even from far away.

The acting aids in maintaining this sense of unreliability in THE AVIARY. However, there are moments where the direction and line delivery could have been handled more naturally. This note is more directed towards Akerman, who embodies the more overtly joyful of the two women. Certain lines were delivered in a way that didn’t read as authentically as they should given the exchange between the two. Izzo, playing the more emotionally volatile of the two, gets more opportunities to express her range, creating a character that exemplifies the thorough line of loneliness that brought these two women into the fold of the cult.

Of note are the hypnosis elements incorporated into the story. How Cullari and Raite addressed these elements gave a level of authenticity that was surprising. From the establishment of trust orchestrated by Seth to the utilization of drugs and the like, these moments truly helped cement the credibility of the film in how difficult it would then be for these women to escape.

THE AVIARY is a competently done film. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but the execution of ideas is done decently enough to keep viewers guessing. With that said, though, there are moments in the performances onscreen that might take the viewer out anyway just due to delivery and levels. Enough research appears to have been done on trauma bonds, cult dynamics, and – surprisingly – hypnosis to give the film a necessary truth to it. And it’s really in these truths that the film is strongest.

For a feature directorial debut, Chris Cullari and Jennifer Raite deliver a decent psychological thriller that will leave audiences questioning.

THE AVIARY will be released on Friday, April 29, 2022, in the U.S. in select theaters, and on Digital and on Demand.

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Sarah Musnicky

Editor-in-Chief/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Owner of Nightmarish Conjurings. Most may know her due to her desire to literally hug anything that could kill her, but also making sure that everyone is squared away and sanity is intact.

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