Let's go on holiday! Everyone needs a break, and no matter where you come from, that need to disappear, disconnect, and spend time with the people that you love in a new environment is something that we can all relate to. So why not visit the tiny Swedish island of Svalbard? It has everything that you need. Beautiful cottages, lush forests, creepy locals, and weird traditions. And a few murders.
Written by Nick Frost (who stars in the film) and directed by Steffen Haars, Get Away invites us to join a middle class British family on just such an adventure. The Smith family (led by Frost and Aisling Bea) are traveling to a remote island in Sweden for a relaxing vacation. Their trip coincides with the anniversary of a historical event involving cannibalism (perfect focal point for a family vacation, right?); they have rented a house and are prepared to kick back, observe the local cultural celebrations and reenactments of the event, and enjoy themselves for the first time in a long time.
When they arrive, the locals are…less than welcoming. This is a small, close-knit island community that is wary of tourists on the best of days, but definitely don't want to see any unknown faces during this particular week. The family is on edge from the moment they arrive on the island, but are determined to ignore the lack of a warm welcome and instead concentrate on their vacation. They are here for the week, and they are going to enjoy themselves. Even if their neighbors warn them away. Even if there is something creepy going on in the woods.
The Smiths are well-intentioned, but a little goober-y. They try (and fail) to say Swedish words, only to start giggling afterwards, they expect the local restaurants to cater to their specific desires, and they can be a bit rude. This is all unintentional, but they carry an expectation that the entire country is there to cater to their vacation experience. The idea that they might be intruding on something culturally significant never once enters their minds, so their interactions with the inhabitants of Svalbard range from awkward to hilarious.
This film is a lot of fun in so many ways. For starters, the performances are great. Nick Frost and Aisling Bea are perfect as the kind of dorky, trying hard, slightly put-upon parents. They are the right amount of intentional and clueless to make them believable, but still endearing. The supporting actors making up the population of the island fill everything out nicely. They absolutely understand the assignment of being the creepy, unwelcoming townspeople, but they also recognize the trope, and never lay it on so thick that it becomes a parody.
The film strikes a balance between embracing the tropes of the genre, and playing with them. We all know how folk horror works, and Haars brings in some of those aspects enough to set the stage, but then allows the elements that are unique to the film to stand front and center. The family arrives at a strange place and is confronted by an unfamiliar culture that seems to be locked in the past. From there, the story grows and shifts and plays with our expectations, ultimately becoming something unexpected and insanely fun.
Get Away takes you places you don't expect and is bloody as all hell in the process. Sometimes you go on the perfect vacation, and other times…it's not so great. But it’s always important to roll with the punches and just have fun.
Movie Score: 4/5
Emily von Seele hails from Seattle, where it rains a lot, which gives her plenty of excuses to stay inside and watch movies. She has written for Bloody Disgusting, Daily Dead, the Women in Horror Annual and Grim Magazine, and is co-host of the Dead Ringers podcast. You can usually catch Emily on Twitter (@horrorellablog), where she has been known to gab excessively about movies and tweet adorable pics of her two cats - seriously, they are the cutest ever.
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