Where to watch: Tubi, Plex, Amazon Prime
Trigger Warning: missing person, drowning, traumatic death
Non Spoiler Synopsis: Alice is missing, and her family searches for her and answers. When her body is found, it doesn’t stop them searching for answers, trying to connect with her and each other and come to terms with her death.
Ratings (out of 5)
Blood:0
Psychological & Suspense: 0
Grief: 💧💧💧💧💧
Overall😱😱😱 and 1/2
Worth the Watch?
Lake Mungo is a 2008 Australian found footage documentary-style horror movie written and directed by Joel Anderson. The movie revolves around the disappearance of Alice and the subsequent discovery of her body, delving into the emotional journey of her parents and brother. This movie reminds us that grief can feel like we are being haunted. We follow Alice’s family as they search for answers and try to piece together who she was and what happened to her. Even unearthing secrets they struggled to process.
**Spoilers ahead-read with caution**
At first, the family believes Alice haunts them, as her face appears in film and photos. Later, they discover that her brother Matthew created these images out of desperation to connect with her and bring her back. When grieving, we look for ways to bring back or connect with our loved ones. We have a desire and a need. We are trying to settle an unsettled feeling. We try to make sense of something that often cannot be logically interpreted. We are trying to ease the need to know and understand what happened to our loved ones and who they were. Especially when someone dies tragically and suddenly, we do not receive closure; we cannot say our goodbyes.
Alice’s mom hires a psychic to connect with Alice. When we lose someone tragically and traumaticly, we long for answers. We can become preoccupied with the need to know, to scratch some unreachable itch.
Alice saw the same psychic seven months before she died about nightmares. She describes the nightmare as being cold and heavy like she was drugged and woke up sick. She goes to her parent’s room, and she is crying at the end of their bed; she feels like everything is wrong, something terrible is going to happen, she isn’t ready, and she can’t stop it.
The family decides to go to Lake Mungo, where Alice goes on a school trip and comes home without her cell phone, watch, or bracelet. They had seen footage of Alice burying something there away from the group. The family wanted to understand, connect, and know who she was and what was happening to her. When they find her phone, they watch a video where Alice sees her dead self.
We see Alice with the psychic again. She tells him she sees her mom, and her mom doesn’t know she’s there. The movie ends with the family moving, taking one last picture in front of the house, and in the window, we see Alice.
**end spoilers**
Dive deeper
Grief is a profound experience, as we witness with Alice’s family, who desperately want to hold onto her, to connect with her. Throughout all this, life continues to happen, time continues to pass. As time passes, they begin to adjust to a life without Alice, but that does not mean they have forgotten her; they are adjusting to a different life without her. This is part of the grieving process.
When grief enters our life, we first must acknowledge it, acknowledge that we have lost someone important in our lives. This does not mean we have accepted it. We are just saying we have lost someone.
Next, as we see in the movie, we learn to adjust to life without the person. Depending on the theory of mourning, this can involve a couple of different steps. In this stage, you are experiencing pain and emotions. This includes anger at the person, at the situation, and others. This includes relief, especially if they are sick. You can also experience guilt and shame about the relationship and the circumstances around their death. You will experience a rollercoaster of emotions, and this is normal. Grief is like water; sometimes it’s still, sometimes it ranges below the surface, sometimes it is a storm, a hurricane, a typhoon, sometimes it is giant waves that drown.
Throughout the grieving process, we connect with our loved ones. Many theories suggest this is the next step. In the work I do, connecting with the deceased is ongoing. We connect to the deceased from the moment of death.
We continue to adapt and adjust to life without the person. We are the same and yet different. We have survived the storm with scars and stories. Sometimes, the storm is gentle, and we feel relatively unscathed. Other times, it is a violent wild storm that leaves us battered and bruised.
REMEMBER: Your grief journey is yours; do not compare yourself to someone else.
You are not alone in your experience.
Seek empathic, nonjudgemental support.
Final Screams and Thoughts
"Lake Mungo" is a poignant film that captures the essence of grief, particularly following a traumatic loss. It validates the experience of sorrow and the human need for connection, making it a significant contribution to the portrayal of mourning in cinema.
Recommendations:
Found Footage fan? Check out The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, or Grave Encounters. These films are considered to be part of the beginning of the found footage genre.
Horror movies with grief themes: Baghead, Killing of a Sacred Deer, Pet Semetary, Baghead, Birth/Rebirth, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Men Lovely, Dark and Deep, Tigers are not Afraid and Thanksgiving.
Want more?
Check out the Femme Fatalities Podcast, a podcast that discusses horror movies and grief.
Ways to connect with your deceased loved ones? Check out my Pet Semetary review.
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