‘Hoard’ Review – A Raw, Heartfelt, Very Messy Debut Feature [LFF 2023]

The bond between mother and daughter is one of the most impactful ones out there. Whether it’s a positive or negative one, the relationship someone has with their mother will have an immense impact on what kind of person they’ll become. That’s again being proven on the big screen beautifully in Luna Carmoon’s directional debut, Hoard. Carmoon’s tale is a mix of a distressing reflection on childhood trauma and troubled relationships on the one hand and a disturbing and repulsive sexual awakening on the other. This mix might not work for the entire 126 minutes, but there are certainly some glimmers of greatness running throughout this grindhouse horror movie.

“I murdered my mother, you see. Our very own catalogue of love killed her.” The opening line perfectly captures the spirit of the rest of the movie. Like this one sentence, the feature is full of love and hope but also grief, sadness, and dark times. Cynthia (Hayley Squires) and her daughter Maria (Lily-Beau Leach) don’t have an easy life. Cynthia is a single mother, and despite having a job, she doesn’t make much money. Therefore, they must go through other people’s trash in search of cutleries, magpies, electric fans, second-hand furniture, and much more to survive. They collect these items and add them to their own ‘nest’ at home. This results in a house full of mess, papers, garbage bags, and dirtiness.

Maria might be used to living in their landfill, but this isn’t the right environment for a young girl. This messy, chaotic lifestyle slowly turns the lovely bond between mother and daughter into a love-hate relationship. Cynthia loves her daughter but also lashes out at her many times. Maria isn’t afraid to push back, resulting in even more violence and trouble. It comes to a point where mother and daughter are being separated. Maria is moving in with Michelle (Samantha Spiro), who “looks after kids when their mums need a break”.

It might have been a temporary measure then, but years later, Maria (now played by Saura Lightfoot Leon) still lives with “mum” Michelle. She looks and behaves like any other teenager – there’s partying, sneaking out, and being rebellious – but the profound cuts of her traumatic past aren’t healed yet. When Maria meets Michael (Joseph Quinn) – a former foster child of Michelle’s who will stay with them for a while – the deeply buried emotions, the uncontrollable thirst for hoarding, and the abusive background resurface. Maria wants to overcome her traumatic past and remember the happy moments with her mum, but when having to deal with self-destructive grief, that is easier said than done.

What happens next is best left unspoiled, but be assured that Hoard is nothing like the film you thought it would be. The clash between the emotional coming-of-age and the visceral sexual awakening scenes undoubtedly makes you think of RAW. Hoard is less extreme than Julia Ducournau’s movie, but there are still many disturbing scenes, especially between Maria and Michael. While many of them do have the right amount of weirdness and darkness, many also are just too over the top. Those surreal scenes brilliantly show us the fantastic sound design by Steve Single (Tár), the emotional impact of his team’s work, and the stunning cinematography by Nanu Segal (The Children). Still, they’re also the ones that decrease the emotional impact this feature could have had. You will laugh, cry, and be surprised (both in a good and bad way), but most of the time, you’ll be confused.

What perfectly counterbalances those too-fast emotional shifts is the tremendous and energetic performance by Leon. She fully embraces the complexity and contrasting elements of her character’s personality, resulting in dynamic and forceful acting. From Maria (partly) resenting Cynthia to loving her second mum and dealing with her addiction and dark love, to Maria just being a thrilled and naughty teenager, Leon hits every emotional note beautifully. She also has a background in dancing and knows how physical movements can heighten emotions even more. The more Maria’s madness grows, the bigger and bolder the movements become. This might be Leon’s debut feature, but it won’t be her last.

Leon’s on-screen younger self, Leach, also makes her acting debut in Hoard and brings so much energy, love, and light but also darkness and anger to this screen. Her performance perfectly captures the hate and rebellious feelings a child can feel towards her mother, but also the love and admiration. This feature is entirely told from Maria’s perspective, so we don’t know for 100% what the other characters are going through. Still, based on Quinn’s (Stranger Things) very effective, unhinged performance, we can already guess that Michael has dealt with some immense trauma.

There are undoubtedly too many emotional shifts and weird scenes, but the absorbing performances and alluring cinematography ensure that Hoard is a confident, raw, heartfelt, messy film.

Hoard was screened in the First Feature Competition section of the BFI London Film Festival 2023. 

Director: Luna Carmoon

Writer: Luna Carmoon

Rated: NR

Runtime: 126m