Now I have to say that Umma is a film that caught me by surprise, I didn’t really know much about the film starring Sandra Oh, but with the announcement of the film being shown as a Cineworld Unlimited Screening then it was time to check it out.
Umma, which is the Korean word for “mother,” follows Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter (Fivel Stewart) living a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.
After hearing about the Cineworld Unlimited Screening of Umma I checked out the trailer and it did look promising with Sandra Oh in the lead and the mention of Sam Raimi as producer, so my interest was peaked and I hoped that the film would pay off with the trailer enticing me into what looked like a horror film that may have some great jump scares and some psychological moments to make the hairs on the back of my neck standing up to attention.
Amanda (Sandra Oh) has a secret and with a collection of unnerving flashbacks, we find that her childhood wasn’t a happy one and after her family moved to America from Korea she leaves her mother, changes her name and starts a new life with her daughter (Fivel Stewart) away from the outside world where they keep bees to make a living, but Amanda’s mysterious past is about to catch up with her.
Amanda and her daughter live in a house with no electricity, with Amanda saying that she has a reaction to electricity, very mysterious but we find out later on in the film the reason she is saying this. One night with a lightning storm, Amanda has a vision of her Umma (Mother) sitting in the chair in her room, which I have to say is nicely shot.
Then one day, Amanda’s uncle arrives with the remains of her mother and all the horror of her past starts to surface and her Umma returns to continue being part of Amanda’s life and control it, this in turn changes the relationship that Amanda has with her daughter.
After seeing the trailer I was hoping that there would be some nice jump scares in Umma, but sadly the shocks are very tame and not jumpy at all which is such a shame. As I mentioned earlier with the scene with Umma in a chair in the room, there is some great cinematography with the dark scenes and moments playing on the mind, with is there something in the corner of the room.
There are also some nice subtle effects with Sandra Oh as she stares into a mirror and her face changes slightly, much like you get when you are on a ghost hunt and stare in a mirror long enough to see your face change, which is all down to how your brain works and seeing your face in the darkness.
Sandra Oh puts on a great performance as Amanda and I can’t fault it, Fivel Stewart works wonderfully with Oh as her daughter and you do get the mother and daughter relationship coming from the screen during their performances.
But sadly Umm which is produced by Sam Raimi, and directed by Iris K. Shim really didn’t come across much as a horror film for myself, much more of a drama. The story From Iris K.Shim is good and it is an interesting take on family, but there is so much more potential for Umma to have some great horror moments, not gore but some good psychological jump scares to give us something different much as Malignant did.
If you are a fan of Sandra Oh then you may want to check out Umma which is in UK cinemas from March 25th 2022.
Not the horror I was expecting!
Movie title: Umma (2022)
Movie description: Amanda and her daughter live a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.
Date published: March 22, 2022
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 23m
Director(s): Iris K. Shim
Actor(s): Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney
Genre: Horror
Summary
I was hoping for a horror film with some nice jump scares, but sadly the film really didn’t deliver the expectations of the trailer.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
