If there is one film that should be studied in terms of how not to withhold information, it’s the E.L. Katz-directed, Simon Barrett-scripted “Azrael.” The film’s plot is intriguing—rapture, or the transporting of the believers from Earth to Heaven at the second coming of Christ, has already occurred. The film opens with characters renouncing the “sin of speech,” or in the case of Azrael, her lover Kenan, and the rest of the community members, being branded with a crucifix on their necks to remove the ability to sin by speaking. A heavy dose of religious imagery is involved within the machinations of the central community.
As it turns out, Azrael and Kenan are being hunted by gun-toting members of that community. As the movie moves forward in the first act, Azrael is captured and separated from her lover and chosen to be sacrificed to the “monsters of the glade”—burnt, blackened zombie-like creatures who hunt in packs and, when hungry, are capable of separating the head from the torso with one swift movement. However, they are also shown to walk with two left feet like most incarnations of zombies in other media.
Still, they are also depicted as capable of running fast when required to chase an opponent in the dead of night. While the members of this community have foregone speech, there are other communities where speech is practiced, and cars are retrofitted with massive flashlights, perhaps to ensure the monsters remain at a distance. These are examples of two opposing ideas, as well as kernels of ideas existing within the same world, and there is no effort to explain either.
Regarding scripting, movies like “A Quiet Place” or “No One Can Save You” have become blueprints for constructing movies without resorting to the crutch of dialogues or exposition dumps. Considering that this film was also written by Simon Barrett of “You’re Next” and “The Guest” fame, one can at least expect a high-concept genre idea. The problem with Barrett’s screenplay seems to be a mishmash of exciting ideas without having a connective tissue.
It is one thing to indulge in the paucity of information so that the viewer can fill in the blanks while enjoying the visuals and the storytelling. It is another to choose that same paucity as an excuse to indulge in style over substance, to drench you with arresting visuals and imagery filled with ideas but not imbibe with coherence. It’s almost as if the conceit of the lack of dialogue is not just unjustified; it almost hampers the overall coherence of the narrative itself.
However, one can also choose to rationalize these opposing ideas and create a coherent narrative within their headcanon, if the protagonist is worthy to follow or if the action sequences and set pieces are stylishly executed. “Azrael” boasts of Samara Weaving as its central protagonist, arguably one of the most charismatic and compelling actresses working in any genre, but more noticeably in horror.
She is extraordinary to follow as the quintessential final girl, and her reactions to each incident have to act as narrative inevitabilities and morsels of information about character and relationship dynamics. The film manages to forego the lack of character development being afforded to the rest of the characters, including Azrael’s boyfriend, Kenan, or the head of that church.
In the case of the latter, the imagery of her appearance—a pregnant woman heavily implied to be carrying this world’s version of the antichrist—is a fascinating choice. The last act of this film is one gonzo gore-filled set-piece, with Weaving’s character clinically and systematically mowing through members of the community in a rage-filled haze to quench her thirst for revenge.
Again, the final image of the film is fascinating in its imagery and cool in how it subverts the character’s nomenclature (Azrael means the angel of death in Jewish or Islamic). However, this raises the question of why her character was named as such in the first place. This is before even pointing out that we only know her name because of the credit sequences, not because it is referenced in the narrative.
“Azrael” joins the long line of interesting independent horror features that would be later streamed on the Shudder streaming service. While the reticence in providing information about the world directly is an appreciable choice, “Azrael” takes it a tad bit too far, affecting the overall coherence of the film itself. However, the set pieces and Weaving’s powerful wordless performance make it a compelling watch regardless.
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