Written by: Ryan Dailey
Keith Thomas’ directorial debut comes to the cinematic world via the minds at Blumhouse, Boulderlight Pictures and Angry Adam Productions. Distributed by IFC Midnight with a run time of one hour and twenty-nine minutes, this rated PG-13 film is basically Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring taking place in your Jewish Grandmother’s house.
Young Yokov, played by Dave Davis, is a man plagued by past trauma in the death of his younger brother, which he could have prevented, losing his faith, and fighting poverty while living in Brooklyn. The protagonist is doing his best to pull himself back together, attending a support group where he meets a possible love interest in Sarah, portrayed by Malky Goldman. Upon leaving one of the group meetings, Yokov is approached by a former church acquaintance to perform the duties of a “Shomer,” or watchman, over the body of Mister Litvak, so that Missus Litvak may rest. Over the course of this one night, Yokov must deal with the demons that haunt him, be they in his mind or in the physical world. Will the Mazzick make this broken soul face his past and overcome it, or will the young man forfeit the war within and become yet another casualty of mental illness? Truths are revealed as the night wears on and Yokov’s nerves wear thin.
This film is basically The Babadook wearing a Yamaka. The movie takes every trope from every exorcism movie, haunting house movie and ghost story, spins them around like a dreidel until the contents are a stew of mediocrity filmed in the same blue-green hues as The Ring. As this film progresses, tons of cliches are stuffed into the modest sized apartment. In one scene, Yokov pulls a stringy clump of hair out of his throat, a la Naomi Watts in the aforementioned The Ring. As Yokov makes his way through the apartment, he stumbles across a film projector playing the final words of the deceased. As the reel of film progresses, the elderly Mister Litvak rambles about demons as did Raymond Knowby on the reel-to-reel tape recorder in the cabin’s basement in The Evil Dead. Yes, from the creepy old lady to a familiar voice over the phone taking on an evil tone to spooky Facetime conversations and mystery cell phone videos. This film is not going to change the medium, but it is worth a view for fans of films in the haunted house genre. The acting is far above average and the idea of giving a religion that typically does not get much time in the sun a spotlight is remarkably interesting. The writing is also surprisingly well done, never really faltering. The characters are developed quickly and thoroughly, despite the film focusing on one character for the most part, and supporting characters getting little screen time. The Vigil may not change the game, but it is definitely worth a viewing and can be found on all major streaming platforms now.
