PREVENGE: Motherhood & Murder Have Never Looked So Good

Kids are notorious for always demanding things. Sweets, chocolate, toys, fizzy drinks, revenge for their father’s murder…Well, the last one may not happen all too often, but it is the very dark and disturbing premise of Alice Lowe’s first feature film Prevenge. What makes this even more disturbing is that her child hasn’t actually left the womb yet.

Alice Lowe, of Sightseers fame, conjures up a twisted tale as she writes, directs and stars in Prevenge. Heavily pregnant and recently bereaved, Lowe’s character Ruth is seeking out specific people and knocking them off one by one. Why? Her unborn child is telling her to. Ruth, in-between appointments with her midwife and preparing to give birth, spends her time tracking down her victims and murdering them in cold blood. Will Ruth continue her killing spree? Is her baby really dictating her life (beyond the usual cravings and swollen ankles)? Prevenge is the quirky, unsettling, and hilarious dark comedy about pregnancy that you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Baby Mama

We can’t ignore Prevenge’s appeal to body horror and the nods to Barbara Creed’s ideas about the monstrous feminine. The idea of the unborn child taking over the thoughts, emotions and actions of the mother is a unique one, but one which chimes right in with Creed’s discussions of motherhood (especially within horror). The sacrifice the mother gives and the gruesome nature of pregnancy and childbirth all feed into Prevenge. Often, Ruth states that her body isn’t her own anymore. Her caring midwife (played by the hilarious Jo Hartley) nods sympathetically, reassuring her that many women feel this way during pregnancy. Ruth grimaces; her baby really IS telling her to enact revenge, and punishes her when she doesn’t.

Lowe has stated that she wanted to explore the phenomenon that occurs when female film and TV characters become mothers. Their own desires and motivations disappear, leaving them just as mothers and nothing more. Prevenge was a way to combat this idea, and to explore how much control the fetus has over the mother herself. Lowe uses the idea of the self-sacrificing mother and pushes it to the extremes, resulting in a hilarious portrayal of a woman who wants to have autonomy but is being prevented at every turn.

There’s also a very interesting role reversal at play throughout the film. At the very beginning, Ruth is being hit on by a very creepy pet shop salesman – a familiar scenario for many women. We believe, due to her being a woman and being pregnant, that she is vulnerable and being preyed upon. Of course, this is turned upside down – Ruth is the one with the power, proving that pregnant women don’t need protecting and are not vulnerable little flowers as society would perhaps like us to believe.

Authenticity & Fantasy

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Prevenge is that Lowe was actually 8 months pregnant throughout the shoot. In her own words, she cast her unborn child as the devil – an IMDB credit before her child was even born. The baby-bump is incredibly real, adding another dimension to the idea of the body-horror conveyed in the film. The narrative may be fictional, but the pregnancy is very, very authentic. 

Following in the footsteps of Sightseers (which Lowe co-wrote and starred in), Prevenge utilises handheld camera and natural light, which brings the audience in from the beginning. It has the grittiness that independent British cinema is known for, which makes the fantastical element (the talking fetus) even more unnerving. The bright colour schemes (particularly the use of red throughout the film) is startling – an attack on the senses in a way. It’s very deliberate and really reiterates the fantastical elements of the film.

Of course, we are never quite sure if her baby really is telling Ruth what to do. However, because the whole film is so subjective (we are following Ruth’s journey the entire time), it really doesn’t matter whether it’s real or not. Ruth believes it, so we do as well. Prevenge is handled with such confidence that we never falter in our identification with Ruth – we follow her journey from beginning to end.

A Bundle of Laughs

Though Prevenge sounds a lot like a bleak horror film, Lowe manages to get the pitch just right in order for it to work as a comedy. From Ruth’s deadpan vibe, to her hilarious interactions with her midwife, to the disgustingly laughable character of DJ Dan, the film keeps the laughs rolling out during the first half.

The second half takes a serious turn; there are fewer laughs to be had here. Lowe gets the pacing spot on by allowing us time to understand what has happened and to grieve with her. The change in pace also allows us to evaluate the situation – is Ruth justified in her actions? In the first half, we laughed, groaned, and championed Ruth’s cause, but it seems different now. We know Ruth is grieving (we are still not sure if the baby really is dictating to her), but we are now unsure if murder is really the right thing to do.

The turning point comes when Ruth faces off with Len (Game of Throne’s Gemma Whelan). Ruth, usually professional and clean about getting the job done, blunders slightly with Len, giving her the opportunity to try and explain herself. In addition to this, Len doesn’t seem like an awful person – like Ruth’s other victims. Does she deserve this? All too quickly it’s too late for Len, but it seems like it isn’t too late for Ruth, she might be able to save herself from becoming a complete and utter psycho-killer.

I won’t spoil it, but Prevenge has one of the greatest endings of any film I have ever seen. Tonally, visually, and narratively, the film is concluded with absolute genius – Lowe is seriously a director to watch for in the future.

A Happy Ending?

Deservedly, Prevenge played at the Toronto Film Festival and the London Film Festival and was also nominated for a BIFA. It’s a wickedly funny film, with a unique twist on old body-horror stories of 1970s and ’80s cinema. Just when you think you have the film sussed, you’ll soon realise that you don’t.

An original idea, executed with a quirky style, Prevenge should be at the top of your 2017 watch list.

What are your must-see revenge movies? How do you think Prevenge compares?

Prevenge is currently on limited cinema release in the UK. Find times and screenings here.