The Vigil: (A Horror Movie Review)

The Vigil (2019) Written and Directed by Keith Thomas. I was not sure if I was going to write up a review, but this movie surprised me so much with it’s artistic elements--and how it was utilized in horror, that I felt like I needed to share it. At first glance, and within the first fifteen minutes of the film- everything seemed very stilted and….well to be honest, boring. I almost stopped watching it, and was like “OKAY PASS”. Yet, I held out because I wanted to see what would develop, and I am glad I did. Full warning, the acting in the opening was very dull, although the lead actor Dave Davis does stand out. He presents his character with some wide-eyed optimism mixed with shyness and excitement for his newfound freedom from what he feels has been a very oppressive religion. His presentation allowed me to get hooked into the story, especially when his character Yakov, is asked by his former Rabbi to sit as “Shomer'' in a Orthodox Jewish home of Rubin Litvak, a doctor and Holocost survivor, who recently passed. A “Shomer” is someone who sits with a body the night after a person passes. Mrs. Litvak, the wife of Rubin, has a form of dementia. Yakov asks why no one else can do it, and Reb Shulem (the rabbi) says they had someone who quickly changed his mind shortly after showing up to the house. ---SO already, there is a little bit of foreshadowing that makes the audience say ‘That’s suspish….’ Anyway, put yourself in young Yakov’s shoes-- he’s left his Orthodox Jewish lifestyle, living in New York City, with little money and a new apartment. He is just getting accustomed to modern technology, which includes a smartphone. Yakov worries that the rabbi is attempting to bring him back into the fold of his former religion, which Yakov does not want to do. Yet, he has no steady income…. So when Reb Shulem comes to him with a job that pays really well for one night, he reluctantly takes the offer. After a brief introduction between Mrs. Litvak and Yakov, which doesn't go that well, Reb Shulem leaves, promising to be by his phone if Yakov needs him… Which makes the audience wonder, why would Yakov need him? The door closes, and Mrs. Litvak rumbles upstairs. Suddenly and silently, Yakov is alone in a small living room, with a dead body covered with a sheet on a table. Yakov tries to listen to music. He tries to keep his back to the body. To be honest, I kept thinking, if I ever had to do that, I wouldn't want to face away from the body, I’d keep my eye on it, but I am not sure what is worse… the watching?... or looking away from a body? The one thing Yakov is not supposed to do is fall asleep… his job description literally is to stay awake to “comfort the soul” and ‘Keep evil spirits away’. So, what does he do??? He falls asleep for about an hour. He shakes himself awake and gets a text message from a cute girl he met. ...or is it really her? Around this point in the movie the audience begins to wonder how much is reality, how much is in Yakov’s head--as he is recovering from his own traumatic event, and probably unnerved by the body--- or perhaps what is happening is coming from real evil spirits lurking around the body. The audience learns a little bit about Mr. Litvak’s past in the Holocaust, that he might have done some things he was not proud of...things which would haunt anyone. Are literal demons coming to claim Ruben Litvak’s soul? When Yakov is sufficiently spooked, he calls a physician that he’s worked with...at 1 am, and leaves a worried message. Yakov believes his mental illness has returned. He tries to call the rabbi, who doesn’t answer (*Oh of course!!*). Yakov has another few disturbing interactions with Mrs. Litvak, and some unusual happenings on his new phone. He sees other things that thoroughly frightened me, but I won't tell too much in case you want to see the film. Things change for the worse when Yakov tries to leave the home. Then, Yakov realizes the only way he can maybe survive the night is to use his faith as a weapon against whatever is in the home. When he puts on the yamaka, and the traditional items for prayer, it seems like he is Rambo getting ready for battle. Things were very disturbing from this point on, at least for me, and I don’t scare easily. This film left me with a dark, lingering feeling for the rest of the night...like I was afraid to look in dark corners, and kept my fan on to drown out any possible unusual sounds (LOL). This film totally surprised me, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a long, slower paced psychological scare. The only thing I didn’t like, (besides the very dull beginning) was the title. I found the title to be a bit misleading, and I assumed ‘The Vigil’ had a Catholic or Christian meaning. Perhaps they should have called it “The Shomer”, because that would have been more authentic in the context of the culture. Everything else seemed very authentic, so by putting a very generic title like “The Vigil” weakened the overall theme of the film. If you do watch, be prepared for subtitles, I didn’t mind, but you have to be ready to read or you will miss information. Overall, I found it to be a very shocking, good scare.