2022 has been a great year for horror films. From new entries in well-established franchises such as SCREAM to independent films that became box office monsters such as Barbarian as well as Horror 2, there is something for everyone in the 2022 harvest. The only problem with a year filled with thrilling horror movies is that it’s getting easier to completely miss out on some great movies that didn’t have massive marketing campaigns. This is the case Anita Rocha da SilveiraX Jellyfisha Brazilian horror film that deserves much more love than it has received.
Bye Jellyfish It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 and it wasn’t until 2022 that the film received a wide release outside of festivals. In the United States Jellyfish received a limited theatrical release starting July 29 and has since been made available on demand on multiple digital platforms. May be JellyfishThe lack of attention is due to its modest theatrical release, or perhaps the fact that foreign films have a harder time getting into the US unless they already feature some recognizable names. However, the fact is that Jellyfish remains unknown. So before the end of the year we’re here to tell you Jellyfish is the best horror movie of 2022 that you didn’t even know existed.
What is Medusa about?
Jellyfish talks about a gang of young Christian women who wear masks and go out at night to hunt for sinners. Their list of targets includes lesbians, feminists, and even women who dare to walk alone at night without properly covering their bodies. United by destiny in God, the gang finds women they consider to be sinners, beat them up and force them to record a video where they promise full conversion to Christianity, which means they will become devoted to their husbands and families. It is a brutal process of violence and humiliation perpetrated by women and targeted at other women, which is already establishing Jellyfish apart from other feminist horror films. This is because so far Jellyfish emphasizes that women are victims of an orthodox religious society, and also shows how they can contribute to their own oppression.
One night the attack failed and one of the gang members, Marie (Marie Oliveria), her face was cut with a knife. The event sends Marie into a spiral of shame and regret as she questions how just her punishment is. On top of that, Marie comes into contact with an evil spirit that forces her to act contrary to religious injunctions, a process that ends up being liberating. Jellyfish explores Marie’s journey, using her possessions to discuss how religion can be a tool to maintain the status quo. The film is also about how the obedience of women in patriarchal societies causes them to hold back their anger and frustration until they consume their souls or the people around them.
Why should Medusa be on your horror movie watch list?
Primarily, Jellyfish marvelous. Joao AtalaThe director’s cinematography is a spectacle, absorbing every frame with an uncanny brilliance that helps set the mood for the strange things we see in the film. Horror is the natural home of everything transgressive, and JellyfishThe use of color and light already makes it an easy recommendation for style alone.
Roshi da Silveira’s script also makes Jellyfish well pissed off your time. Besides being a solid entry in the history of feminist horror, Jellyfish also serves as recorder of the dark period in Brazil. That’s because the film doesn’t take a hit by denouncing the militarization of evangelical churches that are training young people to be soldiers to fight evil in the end times. This inhuman process usually produces very aggressive personalities who often engage in public displays of violence against sinners. And make no mistake, musical performances in churches that call on the faithful to blindly trust religious leaders in politics are not satire, but a true portrait of contemporary Brazil.
Jellyfish also asks what role women can play in this repressive environment. Unfortunately, the answer is worrisome, as women are required to listen carefully to what men in the church have to say and take care of their appearance in order to serve better at home. This structure, which tells women to lower their heads and obey, leads to such abominations as makeup lessons to hide bruises under the eyes. And though these unsettling moments may make Jellyfish Seemingly set in a dystopian society, there is nothing about religion in the film that isn’t based on real stories. So, Jellyfish this is a must see movie because it allows American horror fans to learn more about Brazilian religious culture. It also serves as a warning about the dangers of mixing politics and religion.
Meduza subverts images of horror
While background Jellyfish already rich enough for us to recommend, the film also shatters expectations for horror. Since the film is about religious and believing people, Jellyfish uses a trope of demonic possession to justify the changes the protagonist goes through. However, the nature of this possessing spirit is unusual, since the force that repels Marie from the church is the image of a mutilated woman (Bruna Linzmeyer), whose scars are the fruit of an attack by a Christian fanatic.
When Marie herself is traumatized, she must come to terms with the pain she has caused other women, and her case of possession causes her to free herself from the repression. From expressing her sexual desire to accepting her curly hair, Marie begins to realize that there is a better life outside of religious rules, one where she can unleash her anger and build her own life. In other words, ownership of Jellyfish it’s an awakening that shows how much Rocha da Silveira is breaking stereotypes with his new film.
Jellyfish far from perfect. For example, the pace may be uneven, and Jellyfish can challenge impatient viewers with a running time of 129 minutes. And of course, at some point it becomes clear that Jellyfish puts style over content. However, the film offers an intriguing tale of rage and women’s liberation, and serves as a grim portrait of a militarized religion in Brazil. So for now Jellyfish doesn’t get everything right, it makes you think, it’s mesmerizing and it does something unique in the horror genre. For those reasons Jellyfish is on our list of the best horror movies released in 2022. And even if you’ve probably never heard of it, there are plenty of reasons to give it a try.
Source: Collider
