Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“This house is disgusting. You cannot live here…”
A young immigrant isolates herself in her house as she grapples with night terrors and visions of drowning inside a boat in the short horror film Lullaby.
Written and directed by Chi Thai, the film stars Jan Le as its tormented, nameless, and lonely protagonist, who, as the title hints, might have lost a child. The suspense revolves around the circumstances in which the tragedy occurred.
At a little less than 15 minutes long, Lullaby is bleak in its settings, the house where the story takes place is dimly lit, largely because the protagonist won’t open the curtains, serving as a metaphor for her refusal to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She has turned her home into a living graveyard for herself, with the walls and roof decaying, leaking, and crumbling. Somebody keeps trying to reach her on the phone, but she refuses to pick it up, intent on her self-imposed exile.
The immigrant theme reminded me of the 2020 horror movie His House, which was similar in themes, with a newly arrived immigrant couple experiencing creepy, terrifying supernatural occurrences in the home allotted to them. In Lullaby, the supernatural elements are muted; however, Jan Le’s character does experience something inexplicably harrowing in the climactic moments. But given her trauma, it’s up to the viewer to decide if her experiences are real or imagined. Jan Le delivers a powerful, wordless performance, conveying grief, fear, and loss through haunting silence and raw expressions.
Overall, Lullaby is a gripping short horror film, but its impact depends on how the themes resonate with the viewer. You can watch it on YouTube.