Some films seldom leave room for thought or interpretations because they have so many replacements for that. 1922 here serves creepiness and discomfort on a platter, but with an undeniable brilliance at the side. Based on Stephen King’s novel by the same name, 1922 pans out through Wilfred James’s confession about how he killed his wife and how wrath followed him since. This 100 min long film will make you feel like you have been watching it forever, not because it’s tedious but because of the grave encounters you have viewing it that keep getting more frequent and you wish for this ill experience to end. But oddly enough, this is where the film wins. Because believe it or not, driving our senses to insanity is what Stephen King and director Zak Hilditch aim at.
Set in a small village from America, 1922 is the story of this year panning across seasons. In a seemingly okay going household, problems arise when a wife decides to disagree with her husband and wants to sell the land and move to the city. This wife named Arnette (Molly Parker), is overjoyed when her husband Wilfred (Thomas Jane) finally gives in to her decision, but the same night he kills her with the help of their son Henry (Dylan Schmid) and throws her in their backyard. This is when misery starts following him, and the constant quest to keep his secret under drapes, steals away his life from him.
In 1922, a man’s pride was a man’s land. And so was his son
-Wilfred James, the man who never owned any land. Just considered his father in law’s land as his own
Wilfred here, is the total embodiment of patriarchy, who despises a rich man, only because his wife never disagrees with him. The film even though holds toxic masculinity in the backdrop, never really glorifies it. Instead it puts forth the unbelievable extent to which a man can be unreasonable yet believe the exact opposite.
To signify grossness, and to deliver an unsettling experience, 1922 makes extensive use of mice. Mice eating away Arnette’s corpse and later Henry’s, and terribly horrifying Wilfred himself who is nothing but the human version of mice, who did more harm to people around him than mice could ever do. It is quite evident why it is not a favorite among the masses. The creepiness or horror can be extremely triggering but if you think you can bear with it, go ahead and watch 1922. It’s the story of a man who gets caught for murder, not by the police but by fate.
The F Word 