Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: APPENDAGE [SXSW 2023 - Austin, Texas]
The idea of duality is bathed in the idea of who we are and who we both despise or aspire to be within ourselves. When the context of self esteem or even the beauty myth comes into play, it sometimes can be transposed into the idea of what fear is and how people deal with it. With “Appendage” [Midnighters] which is also part of the output from 20th Digital Studios through Hulu, the story is also about intention of self. The film follows Hannah (Hadley Robinson) who notices something growing out of her side at the inset of the film. The duality of this of course is inherently metaphorical but strains the suspension of disbelief a little bit as the concept unveils itself. The structure and practical nature reminds one of the old school creature features from the 80s like “Critters” and “Ghouls”. However like “The Nest” from IFC Midnight last year or even “Fresh” from Hulu itself, once you can accept the context and see it for that, then the film tends to take you along, especially as the players pass in the night.
This builds up to an interesting second act buoyed in no small way by Emily Hampshire as “Claudia”. The push of the concept might play over too much into hyper-reality (and over acting) but that is part of the fun. The third act however is slightly anti-climactic. Now this might be a reflection of the budget but even one wide context shot of the city and maybe how this affliction might be going on everywhere in a way (like “28 Days Later”) would increase the scope and scale without affecting the character work. As the plot resolves itself, it becomes more of a meditation on identity and taking control of those parts of yourself that you might not like. That said when Robinson as Hannah shifts darker, it is beautifully dark and delicious (an almost Mr. Ripley adventure or “Bad Girls” heist movie with her and Claudia would be fun and bonkers). That said “Appendage” is very specific ode on this idea of identity. It is effective with some delicious performances but not overwhelmingly so. B-
By Tim Wassberg
