September Says (18) |Close-Up Film Review

Ariane Labed’s September Says is a hypnotic and unsettling psychological horror, blending gothic fairytale elements with an intimate study of sisterhood.

Adapted from Daisy Johnson’s novel Sisters, the film is an eerie, slow-burning descent into obsession, identity, and trauma, anchored by stunning performances and a hauntingly atmospheric setting.

September (Pascale Kann) and July (Mia Tharia) are teenage sisters born just ten months apart. September is dominant, protective, and distrustful, while July is softer, more open to the world. Their mother, Sheela (Rakhee Thakrar), an artist and photographer, is troubled by their dynamic but unsure how to intervene.

When September is suspended from school, July experiences independence for the first time, causing a subtle shift in their bond. Hoping to ease tensions, Sheela takes them to an old holiday home on the Irish coast, but the move only intensifies their psychological entanglement. As the sisters’ connection warps into something stranger and more dangerous, eerie and surreal occurrences leave July questioning the very nature of their reality.

Labed masterfully crafts an atmosphere thick with tension, using the misty Irish landscape and the crumbling holiday home to heighten the film’s claustrophobic unease. The cinematography evokes a dreamlike quality, pulling viewers deeper into the sisters’ fractured world. Echoing classics like The Others and Picnic at Hanging Rock, the film’s horror isn’t found in jump scares but in the creeping dread that slowly unravels its characters.

Johnnie Burn’s score plays a crucial role in building this tension. His compositions shift between tender, melancholic melodies and jarring, discordant notes, mirroring the sisters’ shifting dynamic. The sound design, from the crashing waves to the whispering wind, further immerses the audience in the film’s unsettling world.

The performances are outstanding. Pascale Kann and Mia Tharia bring raw intensity to their roles, capturing the complexities of sisterhood—love, jealousy, and fear—while Rakhee Thakrar delivers a deeply moving portrayal of a mother powerless to intervene.

September Says is a mesmerizing debut from Labed, one that lingers long after viewing. Its gothic beauty, psychological depth, and unsettling atmosphere make it one of the most compelling horror films in recent years.