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Relic is a 2020 psychological horror film directed by Natalie Erika James from a screenplay by James and Christian White. The film stars Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, and Bella Heathcote.
Relic had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2020, and was released on 3 July in the United States by IFC Midnight, and 10 July in Australia on Stan.
That night, Edna's neighbour Jamie visits them. Jame states that he had not visited Edna for a while because his father didn't let him. Sam and Kay grow increasingly disturbed by a loud creaking from inside the walls and the appearance of more black mould throughout the house. Kay experiences nightmares of a withered rotting corpse in an old shack in the woodlands.
The next morning, Kay finds Edna has returned, barefoot and muddied, and unaware of her own disappearance. Following a visit from a doctor, Edna is found to be mostly of sound mind and without injury with the exception of a large black bruise on her chest (resembling the mould). Kay tells Sam she plans to move Edna into a retirement home. That night, Kay finds Edna sleepwalking toward the front door, whispering, "It's nothing." After being brought back to bed, Edna is convinced there is something hiding in the room and urges Kay to check under the bed; Kay sees something breathing but is distracted before she can investigate further.
The next day, Sam and her grandmother share a tender moment until Edna suddenly grows cold and accuses Sam of stealing from her. She snatches a ring off Sam's finger, not remembering she gifted it to Sam. Following another violent event involving Edna, Sam visits Jamie's father Alex to ask why he stopped letting Jamie visit. Alex reveals that the last time Jamie visited, the pair played hide-and-seek. Edna mistakenly locked Jamie in his hiding space and left him there for hours, forgetting she had even seen him that day. Back at the house, Kay follows Edna into the garden, where she finds her tearing pages from the family photo album and frantically eating them. When Kay tries to intervene, Edna bites her and storms off, attempting to bury the album in the soil, claiming it will "be safer there". Fearing that something may come to get her, Edna softens and agrees to let Kay take care of her.
Sam discovers a hidden passageway to another part of the house. She enters but becomes lost as the corridor begins to loop. Disorientated and afraid, she resorts to screaming and banging on the walls. Edna's condition seems to have worsened again; she now glares at Kay mistrustfully, refusing to eat and wetting herself. Kay notices that her mother's urine is stained black. As Edna bathes, she scratches what was once her bruise but is now rotting black flesh. The bathwater overflows and shorts out an electric heater, causing the house's power to go out. Sam travels deeper into the corridors. The ceilings slope lower, forcing her to crawl. She eventually escapes by knocking holes through the mould-covered walls.
Kay finds Edna, much to her horror, picking at her rotting face with a knife. Kay and Sam flee into the passageway when they hear Edna approach. Edna, now disfigured and physically contorted, crawls towards them. Sam and Kay break through the wall and fall into the lounge room, followed by Edna. She attempts to pin down Sam before being beaten down by Kay. Wheezing, the decaying Edna gestures toward a post-it note on the floor, labelled "I AM LOVED?", and smiles. As they escape the house, Kay realises that the walls are no longer rotting and returns to her mother to carry her to bed. She finishes peeling away the last remnants of Edna's hair and rotten flesh to reveal a withered rotting corpse, like the one in her nightmare. Kay and Sam then lie on the bed with Edna until she peacefully falls asleep.
The film ends with Sam noticing a very small black bruise on the nape of Kay's neck.
Principal photography began on 8 October and wrapped on 16 November, resulting in a 30-day shoot. Post-production began on 26 November.
Justin Chang, speaking on Fresh Air, said: "There are no shocking twists or contrivances in store in Relic, and not a lot of gore, either. James excels at mining dread and tension from ordinary conversation, and she uses thriller conventions to get at something simple but shattering: the horror of watching a parent slowly deteriorate."
| Australian Writers' Guild | 22 August 2019 | Feature Film – Original | Christian White and Natalie Erika James | ||
| AACTA Awards | 30 November 2020 | Best Film | Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw | ||
| Best Direction | Natalie Erika James | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Christian White and Natalie Erika James | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Bella Heathcote | ||||
| Best Sound | Robert Mackenzie, John Wilkinson, Steve Burgess, and Glenn Newnham | ||||
| Best Hair and Makeup | Angela Conte, Larry Van Duynhoven, and Bec Taylor | ||||
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 14 December 2020 | Best First Feature | Relic | ||
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 21 December 2020 | Best First Film | |||
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | 10 January 2021 | Best Horror Movie | |||
| Gotham Awards | 11 January 2021 | Best Feature | |||
| Audience Award |
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