Farhnaz Fazli | Contributor
Featured image: The new Stephen King horror and drama film adaption on Netflix is sure to keep you thinking. | Courtesy of Netflix
Stephen King is primarily known for being the king of horror. Recently, adaptations of his books have been dominating the box office, with hit films such as It and The Dark Tower.
Netflix has jumped at the opportunity to bring another one of his stories to life—1922, which premiered on October 20.
The movie is about a man’s confession to murdering his wife for financial gain, the guilt of which causes him to spiral into hysteria.
Wilfred James (played by Thomas Jane), is a farmer who murders his wife, Arlette James, to stop her from selling their land.
Arlette asks James for a divorce, as she is unhappy in her marriage, mainly because their personalities and values clash.
Her plan for after the divorce is to sell the farm and move to the city with their son to start a new life.
Wilfred, a conventional Southern man, doesn’t agree with her decision, so he tries everything he can think of to convince her to stay—which eventually leads to her murder.
The film displays the tragedy that occurs when people act out of passion and without forethought. There is an essence of karma, morality, and the on-going life and death cycle in 1922.
Director Zak Hilditch demonstrates how selfishness and desire can bring out the worst in people, causing them to perform immoral deeds.
“The movie was awesome!” says Arpita Mukherjee, a third-year Biology major at York. “It was suspenseful and chilling, and I enjoyed the acting too. They did a good job at bringing the intensity of the story to life.”
The film leaves the audience in a great deal of anticipation, waiting to see if Wilfred will be jailed or killed by supernatural forces. They witness the transformation of a once calm, collected, and hardworking family man into a conniving, desperate, and manic personality.
Jane’s character symbolizes the selfishness of humans, and how they often exceed their moral boundaries to indulge their greedy desires.
Jane captivates the audience with his powerful portrayal of Wilfred’s madness. While the costume, setting, music, and lighting all brilliantly reflect the darkness of “suffering consequence,” a theme that radiates throughout the movie—and is not uncommon in King’s work— and is portrayed through Jane’s strong ability to demonstrate his emotions through facial expressions, luring us deeper into Wilfred’s psyche.
Hilditch’s 1922 is a slow-progressing thriller that focuses on Wilfred’s changing demeanour, as he starts to feel guilt for what he has done.
The ending of the film is ambiguous, and open to interpretation. More than anything else, 1922 teaches us to be more aware as humans, and view our actions through a broader, more thoughtful lens.
