Umma

Director - Iris K. Shim (The House of Suh, Of Kin and Kind)

Starring - Sandra Oh (Invincible, Turning Red), Fivel Stewart (American Satan, Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft), Dermot Mulroney (The Purge, The Righteous Gemstones)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "A mother's love never dies"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5): 

     I'm still excited for any new horror film that comes our way in 2022.  When the pandemic hit in 2020 the film industry, among many others, took a massive hit.  Many companies like Vinegar Syndrome and Scream Factory were able to continue their work re-releasing classic films on a newer format.  However, new films were not being made as rapidly as I was used to.  So far this year I've reviewed a handful of films that were released this year which is drastically less than previous years so when I receive a new movie for review I'm jump on it.  Several weeks ago I received the press release for the supernatural horror film Umma starring Sandra Oh.  It looked fun so I reached out for a review copy.  Once it arrived I made time to check it out.  

     The film follows a Korean-American mother and her daughter who live off the grid on their farm.  She had grew estranged from her family in Korea and hoped to forget about them but when her mother dies her uncle brings her remains to her so they can perform a Korean ritual to appease her spirit.  However, she refuses and soon the spirit of her mother starts invading their lives turning her into the person she refused to be.

     I was really excited to check out Umma.  Sandra Oh is one of an actress and I couldn't wait to see what kind of supernatural horror she was going to be apart of.  Sadly, the movie was predictable and most of the characters are very unlikable.  I wanted to like it but I couldn't find much to actually grab onto.  The acting in this one is great but the characters are not that likable at all.  Sandra Oh never disappoints but her character was unlikeable.  I don't know if it was written that way or that was an unexpected product of her performance but I didn't like her character at all.  It made me not want to finish the film.  I was really impressed by Stewart and Mulroney as well but the real focus is on Oh and her relationship with her mother.  The story for this one has so much fucking potential.  It could have been one hell of a horror tale about struggling relations between a mother and daughter and the repercussions it causes between the daughter and her own daughter.  However, the pacing of the film along with the predictability makes it lose any sort of impact that it needed to be effective.  The viewer is just going through the motions when they hit play and the story just sort of happens.  A genuinely creepy tale misses it's mark and becomes another less than mediocre ghost tale.  Finally, the film has some surprisingly well done visual effects for the deceased mother that would be very effective if the film was able to pull together any sort of atmosphere or tension.  However, if you want a body count or blood then you will be very disappointed.  Overall, Umma was a bit of a disappointment.  I liked the cast but the characters are not likable and the story falls apart.  It's decent for a first time watch but even then you will be watching the clock more than the film.