SXSW Review: ‘Lake Mungo’

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about watching ‘Lake Mungo’ when I first heard about it.   The idea of a mockumentary about a 16-year-old girl’s ghost haunting her family after her accidental drowning didn’t much appeal to me.   I was worried we would have another in the long line of cheap ‘Blair Witch’ knockoffs.   I didn’t want ‘Cloverfield’ with ghosts.   That is not what ‘Lake Mungo’ is about at all.

Australian writer/director Joel Anderson pieces ‘Lake Mungo’ together as if it is a true documentary, floating heads and all.   His film tells the story of this girl, her ghost, and the family having to cope with her spirit returning with a remarkable precision.   At times, I truly had to question what I was watching.   Was this really a documentary that I had misread was fake?   Was this just a well-put together fake documentary that really brings some genuine creep moments?

That latter turns out to be true, and, though the film isn’t exactly horror in the suspenseful sense of the word, it does have some terrifying moments.   We are shown video images or still photographs that members of the family have taken.   Then the image zooms in to reveal the ghost standing somewhere in the background.   Literal chills were running through me the first couple of times this idea is conveyed.

Unfortunately, Anderson utilizes this moment a time or two too many.   By the time the fifth or sixth image is shown, the film turns into a Where’s Waldo game called Find the Ghost.   Not exactly a good thing if you are trying to scare your audience.

Luckily, much of the last half of the film delves into a progression of the events.   This isn’t just a girl haunting her family for 80 minutes.   We find things out about the images, the family, the girl, and the events that lead up to her accidental drowning.   The climax of the film, where we, yes, are shown yet another video image of a ghost, is creepy just for the sheer way it plays out in the story.   ‘Lake Mungo’ becomes more than just a fake documentary about a haunting.   It begins delving into more universal questions about the space-time continuum and the nature of ghosts.   Can you really be haunted by someone who isn’t even dead yet?   Think about it.   I don’t think I gave anything away by asking that question.

‘Lake Mungo’ is a brilliant idea that is executed pretty decently.   It is just under 80-minutes-long, and it still seems like certain moments drag for hours.   It certainly is a commendable effort by a first-time filmmaker.

Overall: 3 stars out of 5