ATTACHMENT – Review

ATTACHMENT is a strange little Danish indie drama that keeps viewers off-balance in several respects for a psychological, and possibly supernatural, suspense tale. It opens with Maja (Josephine Park) and Leah (Ellie Kendrick) having the sort of meet-cute at a Danish bookstore that usually kicks off a rom-com. Maja is a local actress whose career highs may already be behind her. Leah is a student from England who was raised in a Hassidic community. She came to Copenhagen to connect with her mother’s Danish roots. Chemistry kicks in quickly, and the two young women become lovers.

When a leg injury puts Leah on crutches, she stays there a few days longer than planned. That’s enough time for Maja to become so enamored that she accompanies her to London. The two move into Leah’s flat, which is the second floor of her mother’s building. That’s where it starts becoming obvious that this ain’t gonna be no comedy.

Leah’s mom, Chana (Sofie Grabol), is wildly over-protective, secretive and surly towards this outsider. Hassidic communities are always rather self-contained, and this blonde gentile is swimming in strange waters. Leah is mostly bed-ridden, and surprisingly tolerant of her mother’s hovering, which includes all sorts of rituals, amulets and artifacts to ward off evil spirits.

The only one who educates Maja (and the audience) about the culture, including Jewish mysticism, is Lev (David Dencik), the bookseller. Maja hears strange sounds at night, as a sense of danger lurks around the edges of the home and its occupants. Is Chana a nut case? Is Leah pathologically co-dependent? Or is there a valid reason for all the precautions against evil spirits?

That all makes ATTACHMENT a multi-pronged title, covering Maja’s romantic devotion to Leah; the tight mother-daughter bond; and whether some demonic entity is nesting within the home or its occupants. I can’t give you more without spoilers.

Writer/director Gabriel Gier Gislason does well wearing both hats. The script fills in a lot of essential Jewish education without detracting from the unfolding tale. As director, he keeps viewers in suspense and engaged within a rather claustrophobia-inducing set. Very little of the running time occurs outside the abodes of the three women, or in bright light. That accentuates the spooky side of the production. Performances from the three are excellent, which is especially admirable considering the range of moods required to flesh out their personalities and story arcs.

ATTACHMENT, in English and Danish with English subtitles, streams exclusively on Shudder starting Thursday, Feb. 9.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars