************************This review contains spoilers****************************
“In this house nothing has changed. I’ve never changed. Here, everything is possible.”
Braid features two young women, Petula Thames (Imogen Waterhouse) and Tilda Darlings (Sarah Hay) who are wanted criminals in need of a cash infusion. In order to obtain the needed funds, the two decide to steal it from a wealthy and mentally unstable friend Daphne Peters (Madeline Brewer). Daphne is game to give her friends what they need, but first she forces them to participate in a make believe game of doctor similar to what they played together as children; only this time more deadly. As the game is played, it’s clear that there’s more to the story than it appears.
Hints at a shadowy past in Braid begin almost immediately with the homeless man calling Tilda a “witch” who “always comes back.” As the film unfolds, we find that during their childhood, the three girls had been playing doctor in a tree house at Daphne’s when a small argument between Petula and Tilda occurred and resulted in Daphne accidentally falling from the tree house and getting injured to the point of sterility. The tragedy in the tree house lingers among the three serves as the tie that binds them together, like a braid, for the rest of their lives and serves as Braid’s theme; the examination of the effects of grief and trauma, as well as a statement on the linkage between motherhood and womanhood. Petula and Tilda suffer from their guilt over the what happened in the tree house, feeling a duty to return and play into Daphne’s retreat into madness and a world where she never suffered the accident and lost her ability to bear children. Daphne is traumatized from the accident’s aftereffects that prevent her from conceiving. As a result of their trauma, Daphne and Tilda retreat to a fantasy world within the secluded mansion as a means of protecting themselves. In this fantasy world separated from the real world, they are free from pain, free from restriction, and free to be whatever and whomever they please. Daphne is stuck in perpetual childhood due to her accident, evident in what she “cooks” her friends while playing the role of mother; cereal, cake, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and candy. That Daphne feels so stunted and broken as a result of losing her ability to conceive feels like a clear statement from Director/writer Mitzi Peirone on the societal pressures put on women when it comes to motherhood. For Daphne, losing that ability limits what is possible for her to achieve and experience to an extent that she would rather become a recluse ensconced in a world of make believe than to face her true reality. Motherhood is offered up to many women as the ultimate goal for their lives and what unquestionably makes them a woman, often becoming an inescapable part of the identity of many women from childhood. Losing that option forever can have indelible effect on a woman which Daphne’s story encapsulates perfectly.
Peirone and director of photography Todd Banhazl employ an impressive amount of visual storytelling in their approach to Braid. Trios make a constant appearance in the background of the films sets; when we first see Petra, she’s sitting in front of three neon x’s, one of which hovers directly above her. When Petra is taken to her room at Daphne’s house, three bird masks hang on the wall near her bed. Hourglasses hinting at frozen time are a common image as well, and even a hint at future plot points is included at the beginning of the film in the form of drawn pictures on the refrigerator. Throughout the film, photography switches between the use of color and black and white with the purpose of telling a story and communicating the mood of the characters in the shot. Dream-like high contrast, bright colors are used in a memorable scene when Petula and Tilda are high, with black and white used when a character is intensely focused on something or when they come to a sudden realization. Unique camera angling is also utilized throughout in order to assist in telling Braid’s story. The twisting, turning camera work takes us directly into the topsy-turvy minds of the film’s characters, making the viewer feel as if we’re descending into madness alongside them. It also assists in disorienting Braid’s audience and keeping them guessing as to what exactly is transpiring onscreen, accentuating the goals of the film’s plots. Peirone also did a fabulous job as the screenwriter, crafting a slow burning but intense script that keeps you consistantly on edge. I was briefly distracted for a moment during a scene involving Detective Siegel’s (Scott Cohen) confrontation with Daphne when he suspects she has both girl hidden somewhere in her manse but Daphne scares him off by demanding a search warrant. The scene’s conclusion was a bit of an oversight as the exigent circumstances exception states that Detective Siegel wouldn’t have needed one if he “reasonably believed that entry (or other relevant prompt action) was necessary to prevent physical harm to the officers or other persons, the destruction of relevant evidence, the escape of the suspect, or some other consequence improperly frustrating legitimate law enforcement efforts.” It’s not a fatal flaw with the film by any means but as someone with a bit of a legal background, I immediately noticed the discrepancy.
Braid is a very mysterious, enigmatic, and ambitious film that keeps you guessing until the very last minute, then changes the question once you think you’ve got the answer. Director/writer Mitzi Peirone succeeds in crafting an intricate tale that also rewards viewers for paying close attention to the film’s visuals so as to pick up clues on where the story is going. Despite the thrills and mystery offered in the film, the material is a little dense which may turn off some viewers. Even with this in mind, Peirone has shown a flair in her film-making and immense promise in her writing that immediately makes her next project one to watch.
Image: Blue Fox Entertainment
