Horror films love to have a twist. It’s not necessarily enough to scare the audience, but to fuck with their minds will ensure how memorable these films become in the future. Yet the truly great horror movies realize that the film can’t fully rely on the twist.The Sixth Sense’s twist was just the cherry on top of an already great film, while a film likeMalignantgoes effectively bonkers in the third act—an escalation of an already insane film.Fixation, the debut film fromMercedes Bryce Morgan, focuses far too much on building to the film’s twist, and in the process,Fixationbecomes far too much about its aesthetic and tone than its scattered story.
Maddie Hasson(Malignant) plays Dora, who finds herself in an institution after committing a crime that she doesn’t remember. From the very beginning,Fixation’s screenplay byWilliam Day Frankwants the audience to question everything, from the reality of this institution, the trustworthiness of Dr. Melanie (Genesis Rodriguez) and the others who work at the institution, and even the possibility that all of this might be happening in Dora’s mind. As the doctors test Dora, putting her under psychiatric evaluation and digging into her past, the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain inFixation.
Which, isFixation’s biggest problem. If we’re on the edge of our seats wondering if everything is false, it’s easy for this film to slip through our fingers—nothing exists so nothing matters.Fixationholds its cards too close to its chest that by the time it starts to reveal itself, the falseness inherent in the story has already permeated the audience’s viewing experience. For the majority of the film,Fixationis just a collection of weird events that have no impact on the audience because of this uncertainty about what is happening. There’s nothing wrong with setting up a twist, but when it actively hurts the viewing experience, it becomes a problem.
This also becomes an issue whenFixationis clearly trying to tell a story of manipulation and abuse, and how such torments can stay buried within one’s subconscious. After the staff of the institution knowingly smiles at Dora’s frustrations enough times, it becomes obvious they know more than they’re leading on, and even worse, actively making Dora relive these abuses, supposedly as part of her recovery.Fixationis split into several steps of Dora’s “therapy” of sorts, and again, as the screenplay keeps the truth murky, we also have a hard time knowing what really happened to Dora, only further mudding the real purpose here.
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Without spoiling what is true and what is false inFixation, once Frank’s screenplay starts revealing answers, it’s as if he has no more cards to play, concluding this story with an extremely uncomfortable ending that undercuts the emotional impact this journey should have. In a story that is seemingly about recovery and acceptance,Fixationends in a way that negates much of that theme, and frankly, feels like Frank had no idea where to end this convoluted narrative.
This is a shame, because Morgan has an excellent handle onFixation’s style and tone. DespiteFixationbeing a smaller film, the viewer never feels the budget restraints. With the help of cinematographerOren Soffer,Fixationhas an entrancing look and feel, as Dora’s journey through the institution and all its twists and turns is claustrophobic and nightmarish. Even when the story gets to be too much, the feel of this tale gets under your skin. Morgan makes this story unsettling and bleak, from old video footage of Dora blaring on an ancient television, to disturbing rooms where Dora must come face-to-face with her demons from the past and present. Even the leitmotif of using a cover of Cults’ “Always Forever” is unnerving—even after it’s used in abundance. Morgan knows how to set the mood of this labyrinthian story, even when it gets a bit out of hand.
Also keeping this film afloat is the performance of Maddie Hasson, a difficult role that asks her to remain even more confused than the audience for the majority of this film. In playing Dora, Hasson has to embody so many conflicting feelings and uncertainties, frequently questioning whether what she’s experiencing is real or if she’s truly losing her mind.Fixationis largely on the shoulders of Hasson, and even whenFixationgets a bit too wild for its own good, Hasson’s performance always anchors this film in a believable sense of terror and worry.
For all its flaws,Fixationdoes show that Morgan is an exciting new director to watch, able to create a mood with relatively little, and between this andMalignant, Hasson proves herself to be an always-game addition to any horror film. ButFixation’s inability to let the audience latch onto anything real becomes a major problem as we go further and further down this rabbit hole.
