Went Up the Hill
is a different kind of ghost story. It haunts its characters physically and psychologically, forcing them to face their trauma. The film, directed by Samuel Van Grinsven, who co-wrote it with Jory Anast, looks at generational trauma with nuance and asks if it can indeed be stopped. The characters at its center — Jack (Stranger Things’ Dacre Montgomery) and Jill (Vicky Krieps) — are dealing with the death of a loved one, but the story is just as much about grief as it is about abuse.
Went Up the Hill captures all that and more in a chilling film filled with plenty of emotional depth and strange occurrences, like a warped ghost sex scene that is one of the most uncomfortable I’ve seen onscreen. But for all its compelling characters, story, and setup, Van Grinsven is guilty of prolonging things unnecessarily. This, among other things, hinders the film and undercuts its effectiveness.
The concept itself is creative and the ghost story, unsettling as it is, is generally well-handled…
The film is titled after the famous nursery rhyme, though I’m still pondering about its connection to the actual story. Jack arrives in New Zealand to attend his estranged mother Elizabeth’s funeral. He claims Jill, his mother’s wife, called and told him to come. Helen (Sarah Peirse), Jack’s aunt, is dumbfounded and angry. She doesn’t want Jack there, though the reason why is revealed later. Jill convinces Jack to stay, and claims that Elizabeth is still around. At night, Elizabeth can possess them separately. While there’s some closure, the ghost’s intentions prove more deadly than initially believed.
Went Up The Hill Capably Deals With Its Subject Matter
The film is pretty dark, and there’s no levity to alleviate that darkness. The concept itself is creative and the ghost story, unsettling as it is, is generally well-handled save for a few instances. Went Up the Hill is not only grim and sometimes violent, it’s emotionally raw, especially since both of its characters are dealing with a grief that’s still really fresh. Like an open wound, it stings, and they can’t help but poke at it regardless of how it makes them feel.
This ghost story of possession — literally and figuratively — is personal and often quite astute. It allows the main characters to figure out their complicated feelings for Elizabeth, who was an abusive parent and partner. It’s an intimate story that examines the effects of abuse, though it’s nuanced in its portrayal. Elizabeth was loved despite her actions and Van Grinsven wasn’t so quick to paint her as a one-dimensional bad person. However, Went Up the Hill is impactful because it explores abuse from the points of view of Jack and Jill.
There is a lot I liked about the eerie ghost story, and much of that lies with the setup and character interactions, as well as the way the coolness of Jill’s home adds to the sinister spectral experience.
Their pain, love, and generally conflicted feelings are given a lot of weight and exploration. Jack, in particular, has a hard time embracing the woman whose love he had wanted more than anything else in life. Memories return to him from his past, and Elizabeth’s nightly possessions force him to reckon with who she was and how she treated him. These moments, and the way Jill and Jack work to comfort each other while facing such difficult truths, are the film’s strength. Went Up the Hill delves deep into their pain, and we feel it along with them.
Went Up The Hill’s Flashbacks & Overlong Story Undermines Its Power
There is a lot I liked about the eerie ghost story, and much of that lies with the setup and character interactions, as well as the way the coolness of Jill’s home adds to the sinister spectral experience. But Went Up the Hill has its fair share of flaws. The film relies heavily on flashbacks to Jack’s past with his mother to drive home the message of abuse and the way it warps love, but the ending would have been far stronger without it.
Jack’s memory of hugging his mother goodbye was a powerful flashback that paired well with the scene it was part of. Every flashback after that felt tacked on and repetitive. The ghost attempting to harm Jack and Jill through possession was also repetitive and went on longer than necessary. At one point, I thought Went Up the Hill was ending, only for it to continue for another 15 minutes or so. The film’s constant return to the ice, or to certain points that were already touched upon, made it a bit of a slog to sit through near the end.
And yet, Went Up the Hill is a film I thought about for longer than I thought I would. It stayed with me and Van Grinsven’s execution of the story, though weak at points, is emotionally gripping. The film, which boasts moving performances from Krieps and Montgomery, can be a poignant journey about breaking the cycle of abuse, the complicated relationship that exists between an abuser and their victim, and finding closure and healing through grief.
Went Up the Hill premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is 100 minutes long and not yet rated.