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[SXSW ’23] ‘Brooklyn 45’ review: Horror movie about the Greatest Generation keeps audiences guessing

Doing what it takes to survive.

Brooklyn 45 is a World Premiere from SXSW that has a familiar set up. Set a few days after Christmas in 1945, five friends gather for the first time in years. The military veterans talk about the past until the troubled host reveals the real reason he has invited them. When the impromptu séance ends abruptly, it opens the door for dark secrets. Before the night is over, the group must confront their past in order to get out of the brownstone they are trapped in.

Stories about people dealing with the literal ghosts of their past are popular. That is initially the direction Brooklyn 45 seems to be going in. When the friends meet, there is a friendly tension and it is clear that World War II has had a lasting effect on all of them. While some are willing to move forward, others have a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the acts they may have committed.

In most films, each person will confront the dark secret that have burdened them for years and will make peace with themselves and move on with their lives. Shortly after the attempted communication with the other side, Brooklyn 45 becomes a different type of story. The horror elements are put on the back burner for almost the entire second act as a new mystery takes center stage.

It is a shocking twist that will catch the audience off guard without taking away from the movie. This new element can take the story in a number of different directions and writer-director Ted Geoghegan keeps audiences guessing the entire time what is really going on. What makes it work so well is there is the running theme of truth versus what will be presented as truth.

[SXSW '23] 'Brooklyn 45' review: Horror movie about the Greatest Generation keeps audiences guessing

This brings a sad quality to Brooklyn 45. From a character looking for any truth about his marriage to another who will not let the war go, the movie is filled with characters who not only cannot accept what has happened, they actively create their own narratives to give their lives purpose. This leads to a surprising ending that underscores even good people can do horrible things.

SXSW takes place from March 10 – March 19 

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