‘Brooklyn 45’ Review: A Haunting and Heartbreaking Chamberpiece
Ted Geoghegan knows how to tell a scary story and it’s not just because he knows how to time gore. It’s because he deeply loves his characters. That love has led to a filmography of, yes, horror fims, but horror films about the tragic yet hopeful nature of the human condition. And none of his work illustrates that more than his newest film Brooklyn 45. A stage play disguised as a horror film, Geoghegan’s spooky and tense chamber piece is both an exploration of the literal & figurative ghosts that haunt us as well as of the terrifying power of belief.
Brooklyn 45 opens on an idyllic 1940s street as snow softly falls and soft Christmas lights twinkle. It’s December in New York, mere months after the end of World War II. All is calm, all is bright as Marla (Anne Ramsay) and Bob (Ron E. Rains) exit their car in front of a gorgeous brownstone. Quickly Geoghegan introduces us to (almost) all of our players: Marla, an interrogator during the war; her husband Bob; Major Archibald (Archie) Stanton (Jeremy Holm); Major Paul DiFranco (Ezra Buzzington); and Lieutenant Colonel Clive Hockstatter. All of them, except Bob, have been friends for decades and served in the wars together. They are all deeply traumatized but hide it under smiles and glasses of scotch.
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As the old friends settle in and start to catch up, we quickly begin to learn about the intricacies enhances of the group dynamic. Marla is the only woman in the group and Paul never lets her forget it. Archie is a gay man and has tried his best to hide it from his friends. Bob is treated like an outsider and constantly reminded he’s never picked up a gun. As the friends bicker and laugh, Clive reveals it’s time to perform an impromptu seance. His wife recently completed suicide and he wants nothing more than to see her again. As close friends do, the group hesitantly obliges and the ceremony begins.
From here, Brooklyn 45 becomes both a ghost story and a courtroom drama as secrets come to the surface and the group must face the reality about their own demons, what beliefs they’ve held dear, and just how broken they all are. This isn’t just a ghost story with angry wraiths appearing out of the ether. This is a complex tale about how this group of veterans must finally confront what they’ve done and how war has poisoned their minds against their fellow man. Geoghegan’s script is perfectly paced so just when we’ve been drawn into the real-world drama of these friends, he delivers a sucker punch that brings us back into the realm of the supernatural.
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There is a lot of talking in Brooklyn 45, but don’t let that keep you from experiencing the film. Geoghegan isn’t trying to make a typical ghost story here, but instead, a very human story that just so happens to have some ghostly elements in it. And this human story is supported by an incredible ensemble cast who are all delivering career-best performances, especially Kristina Klebe who makes a mid-film entrance as Hildy and Holm as the troubled Archie.
Klebe, who co-wrote and starred in last year’s terrifying film Two Witches, shines as the outsider who must convince a group of World War II veterans that she isn’t a German spy. Her performance is imbued with both fear and confidence, trying to tell her story without faltering in the face of death. Holm, on the other hand, gives Archie a swagger that is immediately dashed against the rocks as he enters the deceivingly cozy drawing room. While Archie is a problematic character, Holm never makes Archie seem deplorable. Instead, he gives Archie a depth that all queer characters in horror deserve. Yes, he is bad, but why is he bad? Is it not because he believed that he needed to do those things for his country? And now, with that belief falling apart, where does that leave him? Where does that leave any of them?
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There’s a shot mirrored at the beginning and end of Brooklyn 45 where Holm is shown looking up at a folded American flag with a face full of remorse and anger. These two shots are the perfect bookends for a film grappling with duty versus survival and the fear that comes from questioning beliefs you thought were gospel. What happens when the thing you so dedicated yourself to is suddenly gone and you’re left adrift in the great void of life? This isn’t a film that has all the answers or wants to wrap everything with up a bow. Instead, Geoghegan wants us to sit in the discomfort and really question what we believe and how that shapes our relationship with the world. With a tight script, stunning cast, and perfect pacing, Brooklyn 45 further cements Geoghegan as a crucial voice in contemporary horror.
Summary
With a tight script, stunning cast, and perfect pacing, Brooklyn 45 further cements Geoghegan as a crucial voice in contemporary Horror.
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