Attachment Review

Synopsis: Maja, a Danish former actress, falls in love with Leah, a Jewish academic from London. After Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, Maja returns with her to London, where she meets Leah’s mother, Chana — a woman who could hold dark secrets.

Editing: Nikoline Løgstrup
Music: Johan Carøe
Cast: Josephine Park, Ellie Kendrick, Sofie Gråbøl, David Dencik

Director: Gabriel Bier Gislason
Writer: Gabriel Bier Gislason
Cinematography: Valdemar Winge Leisner

As a feature directorial debut, Attachment is a bold choice for writer/director Gabriel Bier Gislason. Playing in multiple genres, twisting horror rules on their head, and refusing to embrace the genre’s usual norms makes Attachment a must-watch thanks to its tight direction, charming characters, and scares built on earned dread.

You may question the genre at first: Attachment opens like a fluffy, light, and playful romance — the first ten or fifteen minutes feel like a mid-afternoon rom-com. Maja (Josephine Park) meets Leah (Ellie Kendrick) in a library. Maja, a washed-up actress, is wearing her most famous costume — an elf outfit — for a children’s event, while Leah is there to study. After literally bumping into one another, they hit it off and begin spending a lot of time together. When Leah has a seizure and decides to head home to be with her mum, Maja comes along. Early red herrings suggest Maja and Leah’s relationship might be an issue for Leah’s mum, Chana (Sofie Gråbøl), a Hasidic Jew with many secrets. As Chana begins to smother Leah with attention, Maja starts to wonder if more is going on than meets the eye.

The underlying sense of mystery — and the eventual discovery — lies in Jewish mysticism, a fresh direction for a genre often obsessed with Catholicism. Attachment uses Jewish faith and folklore in interesting ways; while I’m not well-versed enough to parse every detail, it’s far from a surface-level swap of iconography.

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Josephine Park and Ellie Kendrick are superb, with a palpable spark between them. Gislason focuses on a believable romance so the final act lands. But this is a three-hander: alongside Park’s determined, big-hearted Maja and Kendrick’s guarded Leah is Sofie Gråbøl as Chana, a mother whose love may be smothering. She isn’t trying to shove her gay daughter back into the closet; rather, she seems intent on keeping her close to protect and care for — and Gråbøl plays the mix of love and unsettling mysticism perfectly.

A refreshing direction for a well-worn horror lane, the focus on character and tension that grows from story (not just jump-scare moments) propels Attachment into being one of Shudder’s early hits of 2023 — and a highly recommended watch.

Attachment is available to stream on Shudder from 09/02.