“Get Away” - Film Review
A family vacation is a specific type of hell. In theory, it’s a relaxing escape from the real world. Families are supposed to enjoy spending time together, but as anyone with a family will tell you, these types of vacations are rarely relaxing. The family in Get Away is no different. They’re dysfunctional and in search of time away from their daily lives. Their trip, however, is not what it seems, and takes a far bloodier path than the standard family vacation. But for all its blood, dark humor, and twists, Get Away doesn’t viciously skewer the cultural stereotypes it seeks to tear apart.
courtesy of IFC Films
The Smith family has traveled from England to a remote Swedish island for a festival. The family consists of the parents, Richard (Nick Frost) and Susan (Aisling Bea), and their kids, Sam (Sebastian Croft) and Jessie (Maisie Ayres). They will be attending the festival known as Karantän on the island of Svälta, whose name comes from the Swedish word meaning “to starve.” The annual festival features an eight-hour-long play that honors a period of time in Svälta’s history where the island was quarantined and hundreds of people died from the plague. Despite the fact that everyone they encounter warns the family not to travel to the island, especially not during Karantän, the Smiths take the ferry to Svälta and are met with unwelcoming locals.
Get Away is written by Frost, who is likely most well-known for his work with Simon Pegg in films like Hot Fuzz, Paul, and others. Get Away marks Frost’s first solo feature writing effort. The basic plot of foreigners who are not welcome visiting a secluded place that values tradition is one that has been used time and again in the horror genre. Get Away is the comedic younger sibling of Wicker Man, and much of the film’s goodwill comes from the crackling dynamic among the family. The film opens in the Smiths’ car with Susan reading the history of Karantän. The children are disinterested and bickering in the backseat. It’s a sight and sound familiar to anyone who has been on a family road trip. The interfamilial dialogue is so infectious that it makes the film’s first act fly by. It’s only when the mysteries of the island begin to unfold that the road becomes a little bumpy.
courtesy of IFC Films
While an audience might be able to guess some of the plot twists that await them, Get Away does have a few tricks up its sleeve that will come as a genuine surprise. Once that shock wears off, though, it’s a little difficult to understand what Get Away wants to impart to its audience. The Smiths are the obvious stand-in for British colonialism and the general exploitative nature of tourism. Despite being told they’re not wanted on the island, the Smiths barrel over the inhabitants in pursuit of their personal vacation desires. They act as though the island and the culture exist to be consumed by them, which is a very realistic concern with modern tourism. Unfortunately, Get Away’s main twist slightly undermines its criticism of the travel industry.
Get Away does manage to capture the folk-horror aspect of films like Wicker Man and Midsommar, while also infusing a comedic sensibility. It’s the third-act twist that undermines the strange, breezy romp the first two acts set up. Get Away subverts expectations to make a lively dark comedy, but one that falls apart if you try to make sense of it.
Follow me on BlueSky, Instagram, Letterboxd, & YouTube. Check out Movies with My Dad, a new podcast recorded on the car ride home from the movies.