LogFAQs > #975484231

6. The House

Karo: 3
Evillord: 4
Ermine: 4
Mythiot: 5
Red: 6
Johnbobb: 7
Plasma: 19
Inviso: 20
Suprak: 25

Total: 93

Karo: An anthology film features three different stories that (supposedly) take place in the same house.
The first features a family who strike a deal with a very sus architect to live in a house he builds for the for free which I'm sure is just out of the goodness of his heart and won't come with any dire hidden costs or anything.
The little girl is the only one who seems concerned with the whole situation, and her parents begin acting increasingly weird until they... turn into furniture?
It is creepy and well directed, though it seems really off in style and tone from the other two segments. It's not bad or anything, it just seems like it doesnt fit with the rest of the anthology.
The second is about a house renovator trying to get an old house just perfect, a task that quickly spirals out of control into a Sisyphean battle against an invasion of insects. Mental breakdowns ensue.
This is probably the weakest of the three, and the lack of any characters for the protagonist to interact with for a lot of the segment (other than phone conversations with his 'girlfriend') seem to leave it with a feeling of something being missing.
However it is the third segment that is the main event, in which a landlord struggles to make ends meet in a city flooded by an unspecified catastrophe. They also are all cats because it is fucking cute shut up.
So beleaguered landlord Rosa tries to get rent from her eccentric tenants and we are treated to some of the greatest dialogue ever in an animated movie. From the first interaction between Elias and Rosa you know this is going to be something special. Everything is so perfectly timed for the maximum humor without being overbearing. from shy fishercat Elias to expressive hippie Jen to bohemian drifter Cosmos, each character comes with their own undeniable charm (and unending annoyance to Rosa).
As the movie goes on we realize that Rosa is actually the one who is crazy, as she works fervently to repair a building on the verge of being swallowed by floodwater, and continuously bugs those around her for rent in a world where money has likely lost all intrinsic value. This adds a whole new dimension to the way the other characters relate to her, they aren't just being dicks but rather they are trying to help her. Be it Elias' insistence of the value of fish, or Jen's gentle reminders about the reality of the current world, they gradually chip away at Rosa's stubbornness and let her come to terms with everything.
The message of the story could be interpreted as anything between moving on from the death of a loved one to conservative denial of global warming and neither would be wrong. It is a thought-provoking delight that is probably my favorite thing I watched on this list, and it being shackled to the other two shorts is the only reason the anthology as a whole loses out on the top spot.

Evillord: Netflix calls this anthology black comedy, and while there are definitely some funny parts, like the bizzarre grunting and breathing of the weird contractors in the first part or the delightful musical sequence in part two, I'd really say it's horror, at least until part 3 transitions into a bittersweet drama. They're all tied together by the titular house, an almost eldritch entity with a will of its own, which changes so much in the eras between segments that it's almost unrecognizable. I enjoyed all three episodes a lot but I think they get stronger as they go. The first is a simple, well-paced and unnerving tale of claustrophobia and isolation. The second opens as an all-too-real depiction of a developer trying to sell a house he's put his life into to the utter indifference of everyone around him, then descends into hilarious insanity with the aforementioned music scene, the dentist plot twist, and a great ending. The third examines obssession and letting go of the past with a put-upon landlord named Rosa and her deadbeat tenants living through apocalyptic flooding. I was impressed by how effectively the film held my sympathy to Rosa early in the segment, making her tenants seem incredibly frustrating (one responds to being asked for rent with the words "are we still doing that?"), but shifted my perspective as it became more and more clear that the world is ending, Rosa's dreams are impossible, and money probably isn't even in use any more. The surprisingly happy ending to this segment gave a sweet sense of catharsis to the whole trilogy, wrapping up generations of suffering with a sense of meaning and release.

Ermine: I was almost certain that this film would be my #2 and maybe it really does deserve to be there. The difference between my 2, 3 and 4 are like one point. Some days I might prefer this over the others. I think this will do quite well with everyone else though so I'm not too bothered by putting it slightly lower (4th is still super super high!).
Surprisingly enough, I enjoy all three stories here, I'd rank them Third > Second > First. That's not to say the First is bad in any way, it's just not quite something that is tailored to me, whereas the other two are.
I looove how eerie and spooky the whole thing is and the animation + art style is top notch.
The reason I enjoy the third act the most is because I just enjoy the characters more here as well as their relationships. I would have really enjoyed a full movie with Rosa and the other residents. In particular, I really enjoyed Elias.
The moment when Elias leaves the house to go out on his own and Rosa is checking his room, finally sees that he liked to draw and had drawn Rosa. Jen comes up behind and Rosa comments that she didn't know he could draw and Jen just replies with "Didn't you?". That moment right there is just like damn, man.
It's just cool to see the different effects, life-ruining effects that The House had on these people, and, I'm glad that the tale ended up having a happy ending. Especially after the first two acts definitely did NOT.
Oh yeah! Credits theme is freaking awesome, I love this song.

Mythiot: *no writeup submitted*

Red: This is an oddly dark movie, feels almost twilight-zone esque involving various characters experiences with the house. It can be weird, creepy, but it does a great job of honestly just investing you in what exactly is going on with the weirdness. I was definitely on board for the weirdness, not going to complain about the rats or cats, though perhaps at times it touched just a bit too weird for its own good.

Johnbobb: 3 > 1 > 2, super creepy and I dig that

Plasma: Not sure if this one sucked or if it was just too artsy for me. Either way, each of the three stories felt about 5-10 minutes longer than necessary, as if the writers were stalling to fill 30 minutes.
The first one was the best of the trio. The characters were worth caring about, the disappearing staircases were creepy, and the ending with the father and mother turning into a chair and curtain was the movies standout moment. I couldnt wait to see where things went from there, but then I learned I was watching a story collection.
Second story was meh. Ratman was unlikable, the plot ran in circles, and the dentist twist was a misfire. Ending was good, with the misshapen rats overtaking the house.
Third story was also meh. The landlord has no paying tenants, she accepts fish and lucky rocks for payment, and therefore she cant afford to repair the house. So she sucks at landlording. Then she kicks out Catman to make room for nobody, and the story ends with the house pulling a Balamb Garden and vacating the property.