[Review]: Child

Having had its world premiere at this year’s Raindance Film Festival in London, the psychological horror Child directed by Cyrus Neshvad explores the themes of grief through a bizarre and fantastical lens.

Set in rural Luxembourg, parents Anne (Brigitte Urhausen) and Gregg (Malik Zidi) are desperate to help their ailing child whatever way they can, even if that means seeking help from the black market organ trade. The former couple attempt to put aside their problems and arguments in order to venture into Eastern Europe to procure a life-saving organ for their son Leo, but soon encounter danger they never could have imagined.

Leaning into the perception that Eastern Europe consists of lumbering locals whose lives revolve around shady underground dealings, not completely unlike Eli Roth’s portrayal of the area in Hostel (2005), Child is an interesting depiction of parental fear through child illness and the possibility of death, and the depths to which they would go to save their child’s life, which includes getting caught up in a criminal underworld and committing untold acts of violence on anyone who may get in their way.

Visually and aesthetically is where Child really shines. With clever usage of light and colour, director Cyrus Neshvad and cinematographer Nikos Welter create a hopeless world in which time is of the essence, eventually leading to a full on fantastical nightmare. The only thing that lets the film down is the transitions between the sequences feels stifled and lacks a flow, leading to the narrative feeling quite disjointed at times. 

3 Screams out of 5