Daughter starts in the vein of many horror classics stating that the events in the film are based more in fact than fiction. The plot follows a young woman (Vivien Ngô) who has been kidnapped and made a part of a new family. As she attempts to navigate the strange rules of surrogate family, she learns awful secrets of the past and what they may mean for her future.
Writer-director Corey Deshon’s feature debut is a tricky premise to navigate. For starters, it is set almost exclusively in one location. This can make it more difficult to establish a mood and gives the characters less opportunities to showcase their personalities. If not done correctly, the story can also become too one dimensional and take all the focus away from the people while placing all attention on the situation.
Neither is ever an issue in Daughter. Unsurprisingly, there is a claustrophobic feel to things, but it goes beyond the covered windows and locked doors. The controlling Father (Casper Van Dien in a frightening turn) has everyone in fear of what he is going to say and how he is going to react. This leaves them all on constantly on edge knowing there are limits to what they can and cannot do.
Each member of the bizarre group deals with the unbalanced power structure in their own way. Daughter cleverly tries to figure a way to undermine Father’s authority while Mother (Elyse Dinh, The Family Circus) has learned to handle things in her own way. There is an added uncertainty to the situation as even though the women can communicate in a way Father does not understand – they both speak Vietnamese – tension still exists between the two. Meanwhile, Son is all too eager to take in all of his dad’s teachings.
Daughter is a timely horror movie that explores gender roles and authority. It is shot in a way that accentuates the tight quarters the family lives in while adding to the oppressive mood. The drab setting highlights the hopelessness of it all and by the film’s end everyone will be unsure of what will happen going forward.
Daughter is in select theaters and on demand and digital February 10, 2023.
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