JP Nunez
There’s a reason why grief is such a prevalent theme in horror films. It’s a powerful emotion almost everyone has struggled with at one time or another, and horror movies can immerse you in its deepest, darkest depths in a way no other genre can. Grief and horror are an almost perfect pairing, so when I first heard about Bibi, the film immediately piqued my interest. And when I saw the trailer, I was sold. This movie looked like a gripping study of the power our pain and trauma can hold over us, and I couldn’t wait to see how it would explore this nearly universal experience.
Bibi was written and directed by Christopher Beatty, and it stars Elizabeth Paige, Judith Ann DiMinni, and Tammy Blanchard. The film follows Vivian, a grieving woman who lives with her daughter, the titular Bibi, but it wasn’t always just the two of them. Vivian used to have another child, Ava, but she passed away several years ago.
Both of these characters are still struggling with the loss of their beloved Ava, and even the passage of time hasn’t healed their wounds. Their grief is painfully evident, and to make matters worse, they’re also being haunted by a mysterious stranger. Like any good mother, Vivian is determined to protect her daughter from this menacing stalker, but to do so, she’ll have to face the demons of her past and finally come to grips with her fragile mental stability.
Before I get into the real meat of this review, I have to let you know that this movie is a very slow burn. In fact, for most of its runtime, it’s more concerned with exploring Vivian and Bibi’s grief than it is with moving the plot forward, so if this kind of horror doesn’t interest you, you probably won’t get much out of Bibi. But if you’re like me and you love slow burns, I think you’re really going to enjoy this film.
From the very first frame, Bibi is dripping with atmosphere, and that feeling of dread and uncertainty hangs over the story until the very end. Granted, there are a number of scenes where it recedes into the background a bit, but when it’s front and center, it’s absolutely captivating. Writer/director Christopher Beatty makes sure everything about the movie–from the performances to the cinematography to the score–comes together to let you know something is terribly wrong here, and he succeeds brilliantly.
He almost allows you to feel Vivian and Bibi’s pain yourself, and even when you’re pretty confident nothing bad is actually going to happen, the tension and atmosphere are so good you just can’t help but inch closer and closer to the edge of your seat. Bibi is simply a masterclass in this kind of horror, and in my book, that alone makes it well worth your time.
But it’s not the only thing this movie has going for it. The characters are also fantastic, and they’re brought to life by amazing performances. This entire cast, from the lead stars to the bit players, does top-notch work, but as usual, there are a couple of standouts that deserve special mention.
Let’s start with the titular character. Bibi’s grief seems to have caused some very deep wounds in her psyche, and actress Judith Ann DiMinni plays the part wonderfully. Almost everything she does, even if it’s simply staring off into space or telling her mother that it’s daytime, has an eerie undercurrent that just might get under your skin, so I see a bright future for this young performer.
But hands down, the heart and soul of this film is Vivian. She hits a number of emotional beats throughout the story, and actress Elizabeth Paige knocks it out of the park each and every time. Whether she’s cowering in fear, having a normal conversation, or doing anything in between, she’s totally believable from start to finish. In particular, I was really impressed by her portrayal of Vivian’s mental instability. Paige kicks it up a notch when her character starts to break down psychologically, and as Vivian’s condition worsens, Paige just gets better and better.
All that being said, I have to acknowledge that Bibi isn’t a perfect movie. As I mentioned before, it spends most of its time exploring its lead characters’ grief, and it’s only in the final act that the plot really starts to move forward. We get some shocking revelations that I didn’t see coming (and, to be frank, one that I did), but after that, the story doesn’t wrap up in a totally satisfying manner.
I can’t go into specifics without ruining the film’s surprises, but I will say that the finale feels a bit rushed. There’s a key change that occurs way too quickly, and from there, Vivian seems to conquer her and her daughter’s demons without quite as much of a fight as the buildup led me to expect. What’s more, the identity of the mysterious stalker ends up being super disappointing. To be fair, it makes perfect sense thematically, but on a narrative level, it’s a pretty big letdown.
Thankfully though, that ending isn’t nearly enough to ruin the entire experience. On the whole, this movie is a gripping excursion into the depths of a family’s unyielding grief, so despite the flawed finale, I still had a very good time watching Bibi. And if you’re a fan of slow-burn, atmospheric horror, I think you will too.
Bibi is set to hit VOD on September 27.
