Attracted to cities through dark energies brought out by the pandemic, a demon visits its victims wearing a plague mask, bending the threads of reality to erase every trace of their existence.
I wore a surgical mask to “The Harbinger,” as I have with all screenings at Fantasia. We’re not near out of the woods yet, though capitalism protests. Before showtime, I had a blood test at the hospital with a nurse who told me anecdotally that cases were as high as ever. The illness isn’t as severe, but the virus lingers, and subvariants keep mutating – and casualties are real. Yet some still would scoff or shout heresy – both in the U.S. and Montreal, Canada, where Fantasia is held.
Pandemic films don’t have the best reputation. Be they horror or otherwise, they haven’t fared well. It certainly didn’t help that the first serious film reaction to the worldwide crisis anyone encountered was the Michael Bay-produced “Songbird.” Often, our entertainment would do all it could to avoid the topic. When CBS’s “The Good Doctor” returned from hiatus, the cast spoke to the audience directly, informing us that we were to see a world beyond the virus. Still, one couldn’t help but notice the barren streets of Los Angeles and New York City during exteriors or the cognitive dissonance the action onscreen created in contrast to reality. At last, writer/director Andy Mitton has devised a pandemic film that works both in and out of context and one that understands the early terror of the lockdown well.
Perhaps no character is more affected by being shut-in than Mavis (Emily Davis). Suffering from self-harm and what appears to be delusions, she calls on her college roommate Monique (Gabby Beans) for help. Monique braves the journey, putting her brother Lyle (Myles Walker) and father (Raymond Anthony Thomas) in danger of infection to check on her old friend. Soon it becomes apparent the delusions are real, and a plague-loving demon capable of erasing nearly every trace of your existence is toying with them until he strikes.
Much of the film is spent where we all lived in those early months – the mind, specifically Monique’s increasingly terrifying nightmares. Mitton employs a disorienting, loopy dream-logic reminiscent of Oz Perkins’ equally haunting “The Blackcoat’s Daughter.” That the demon’s M.O. serves as more than just a pandemic metaphor, but one for our generalized fears of death and insignificance makes it all the more powerful.
None of it would work if it didn’t feel authentic. In writing and performance, Monique and her family feel naturalistic and heartfelt. There’s an unspoken sweetness to the early scenes and at least one moment of physical contact that was genuinely moving. Though it may get too lost in its own dream logic to arrive at a completely satisfying resolution, it’s an often terrifying and bittersweet experience. Those that most fervently disagree or shout hoax, conspiracy, fallacy, or fascism may not care for it much. They have also likely already lost their senses of taste or smell at one point. That’s brain damage. They may lack the capacity to understand. Wear a damn mask.
“The Harbinger” recently had its World Premiere at the 2022 Fantasia International Film Festival
