Jack travels to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother, where he meets her grieving widow, Jill. But his mother’s spirit returns, inhabiting both Jack and Jill - instigating a life-threatening three-way nocturnal dance.
2024
Went Up the Hill
Australian Premiere.
Director
Samuel Van Grinsven
Runtime
99 Minutes
Country
New Zealand, Australia
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Abandoned as a child, Jack (Dacre Montgomery) travels to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother, Elizabeth. There he meets her grieving widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps) who offers him a place to stay.
Over the nights that follow, Elizabeth’s spirit returns and possesses Jack and Jill, using each of their bodies to speak to the other, but leaving them with no memories of what was said (and done). Caught in a life-threatening nocturnal dance, Jack and Jill must find a way to let go of Elizabeth’s hold before she pushes them to the edge.
Director Samuel Van Grinsven draws on memories of his childhood in New Zealand’s South Island to inspire this psychological drama. Went Up the Hill is an original ghost story that explores the extremities of grief in pursuit of letting go.
"Went Up the Hill is, after all, a ghost story, but one shaped in a fresh and artful way by a director who, in his second film, already has the control of a master."
The Hollywood Reporter
"The film is ferociously atmospheric, exquisitely creepy and languid to the point of obsession."
The Wrap
"There are moments in this film that are genuinely terrifying — the story oscillating between quiet drama and horror."
Autostraddle
Toronto
Film Credits
Director
Samuel Van Grinsven
Year
2024
Country
New Zealand & Australia
Language
English
Type
Feature & Fiction
Program Strand
Feature Fiction Competition, Guest in attendance & World Cinema
Producer
Vicky Pope, Samantha Jennings & Kristina Ceyton
Writer
Samuel Van Grinsven & Jory Anast
Cinematographer
Tyson Perkins
Editor
Dany Cooper
Cast
Vicky Krieps, Dacre Montgomery & Sarah Peirse
Music
Hanan Townshend
Film Source
Vendetta Films
Genre
Drama & Thriller
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