Went Up the Hill

Jack (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things) travels to a remote region of New Zealand to attend the wake of his estranged mother Elizabeth, a troubled architect who abandoned him as a child. Jack claims he was invited to the funeral by his mother’s widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps, TIFF 2023’s The Dead Don’t Hurt), who has no recollection of contacting him.

Out of a sense of obligation to her late wife, Jill invites Jack to stay at their house until the funeral, intrigued, as he is, for them to learn more about each other. As Jack grapples with his complex emotions about his mother and the boyfriend he has left behind, his encounters with Jill begin as terse and sometimes tense affairs. Their lives are soon upended further when Elizabeth’s spectral presence makes itself known, inhabiting each of their bodies in turn but leaving no memories of what was said — or done — during the possessions.

Elizabeth’s spirit causes chaos, confusion, and fractures for Jack and Jill. As they struggle to make sense of her intentions, her interventions begin to take ever darker and more sinister turns. Director Samuel Van Grinsven crafts a brooding and deeply atmospheric story that explores the legacy of loss, grief, and abuse through tremendous performances from its two leads, set amid New Zealand’s breathtaking South Island. Went Up The Hill is that exciting gem: a beautiful, intimate, and original ghost story.

JASON RYLE

Content advisory: mature themes, sexually suggestive themes