Magic Magic review

Inside the mind of Juno Temple

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Fraught and confusing to begin with, writer/director Sebastián Silva’s trippy arthouse horror doesn’t settle down for a good while – or at least before you realise that it’s fully intended to be a nervous-breakdown movie.

Steeped in off-key intrigue, it follows Juno Temple’s tourist to a Chilean island, where’s she’s tormented by Michael Cera and pals, the local wildlife and, perhaps, something less tangible.

Bringing to mind urbanoia flicks (eg 2008’s Long Weekend ) and psychosexual dramas (eg 1971’s Let’s Scare Jessica To Death ), it ebbs away at the climax, but there’s 45 minutes where it sings loud and strange.

Freelance Writer

Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.