Credits

Directors: Abel Vang, Burlee Vang

Writers: Abel Vang, Burlee Vang

Cinematography: Jimmy Jung Lu

Editing: Cole Duran

Music: David Williams

Cast:
Michelle Krusiec, Ken Kirby, Madelyn Grace, Audrey Moore, Mercedes Manning, Bernard Bullen

Review

When Shudder announced that they’d secured the rights to publish
They Live in the Grey, there was an interesting quote from directors
The Vang Brothers about how often horror movies with Asian leads are foreign films.
They were making a film in the U.S. with an Asian-American narrative. It’s a true point, and
this film breaks several stereotypes while, unfortunately, leaning on a few familiar ghost-story tropes.

Claire (Michelle Krusiec), a social worker, is assigned the case of Sophie
(Madelyn Grace), who has shown up to school with suspicious bruises one too many times.
When Claire meets the parents, they seem distant, but after experiencing possible supernatural
activity in the home, she isn’t sure the source of Sophie’s pain is as simple as it first appears.

Although rooted in the serious theme of family abuse, the primary case never proves as engaging as
the threads teased about Claire’s past. Early on we learn her son died recently, and her relationship
with his father has been on ice since. Most compelling, Claire sees ghosts nightly and has built a
makeshift refuge in a small room — the only place she feels safe. These experiences keep her mind open
to what may be happening to Sophie, even as the case is one she’d rather avoid. Daylight shows a
pragmatic professional; night reveals a person worn down by grief and visitations no one else sees.

Whether the ghosts are real or manifestations of trauma is left uncertain for much of the film.
While the mystery in Sophie’s home provides momentum, the questions surrounding Claire — and
what happened to her son — are the most intriguing narrative threads.

Watch the trailer on YouTube

They Live in the Grey almost drowns in its unrelenting tone; there’s virtually no levity.
Michelle Krusiec gives a strong, wounded performance, and a scene in which she tries to
break through to Sophie hints at layers we rarely get to see. Thematically, the film tackles challenging
subject matter and has interesting elements, but my attention waned. What’s here feels like potent short-film
material stretched to feature length without the character depth needed to sustain it.

Verdict