Directed by Newfoundland-born actor and filmmaker Mark O\u2019Brien, the intense thriller follows four estranged siblings who return to their childhood home to care for their mysteriously ill mother when strange things start to take over.<\/p>\n
Soon the family begins to realize the matriarch\u2019s health issues may be tied to the supernatural and they start to find themselves face-to-face with a cryptic evil that appears to turn them against each other and seek their demise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s so much in a family that goes unsaid yet at the same time you\u2019re so overt,\u201d says O\u2019Brien about why family dynamics make such a great backdrop for horror movies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a strange dichotomy that every family has that you can feel comfortable around your family and say the things you want to say (because) these are people you\u2019ve known you whole life yet there are things you don\u2019t really talk about and I think that\u2019s really ripe ground for a genre story.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sophomore feature film from the veteran actor who may be best known to Maritime audiences for co-starring in the long-running TV series Republic of Doyle, O\u2019Brien previously earned several Canadian Screen Award nominations for his directorial debut horror hit, The Righteous.<\/p>\n
In that 2021 award-winning thriller, a burdened man must cope with the wrath of a vengeful God after he and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of these films are quite bold and they say a lot of different things,\u201d says O\u2019Brien, adding that, in his career, he has discovered not to take shortcuts when telling stories. \u201cI learned that that\u2019s the best way to go. You\u2019ve got to trust your gut and your instincts and why you got in this business in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien encourages people to come out and experience The Voices of Our Mother at the Scotiabank Theatre on Saturday at 7 p.m., adding that the best way to experience the thriller is on the big screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has core elements but it is also really thought-provoking in a number of ways and it\u2019s quite complex in its characters and the characters\u2019 relationships\u201d says O\u2019Brien, who will be in attendance and taking questions at the end of the movie. \u201cAt the same time, when you watch the movie in a theatre, it\u2019s really in your face; it hits really hard (and) it grabs you and kind of won\u2019t let go.\u201d<\/p>\n
For tickets or more information, visit the Scotiabank Theatre website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n Add CityNews Halifax as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n
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