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By Robert Scucci
| Updated
Everybody copes with grief differently, and most of us don’t even know how to handle and process it until it’s already knocking on our doors. Some people lose themselves in their work, or a passion project, and some people seek therapy. Some people do all of these things. Benny (Barak Hardley), the protagonist in 2018’s Spellcopes with the loss of his fiancé Jess (Jackie Tohn) by taking a solo, soul-searching trip to Iceland, where he finds out he might actually be a pawn in a supernatural game that will either solve his problems or make him wish he never left the United States.
The film is a compelling yet oddball exploration of grief, self-medicating, and searching for greater meaning after your life as you know it has been turned completely upside down. It’s also a hilarious sequence of events thanks to Barak Hardley’s commitment to the role and his character’s various quirks and idiosyncrasies.
That Escalated Quickly
When Spell first introduces us to Benny, he’s a total mess. He’s arriving at an Icelandic airport, and we’re immediately clued into his compulsive behavior. While I’m partial to counting stairs and making sure both my eyes blink an equal number of times so neither of them feels left out, Benny likes to lick shiny metal surfaces like door handles, water taps, and, in one case, a phallic art installation at one of the local museums. To make matters worse, he’s out of meds, dealing with the stress of a new location, and unable to immediately reach his doctor to get a new prescription filled overseas.
Oh yeah, and the grief that brought us here in the first place. Three months before the events depicted in SpellBenny’s fiancé drowned in their pool while he wasn’t around, and he’s still unpacking that trauma.
He copes by having a one-night stand with Inga (Birna Rún Eiríksdóttir), who encourages him to get a tattoo of a symbol he doesn’t yet understand, but soon will. He wakes up the next day not knowing where Inga ran off to after stealing from him, and he soon connects with a tour guide named Steindor (Magnus Jonsson), who takes him hiking, talks about supernatural entities and ancient mythology, and hints at the fact that Benny is some sort of “chosen one.”
From this point forward, I really can’t go deeper into the film’s plot without revealing major spoilers, and this is one you’ll want to see for yourself. But you’ll want to stick around because there are visions, naked hot spring melees, boozy camping conversations, and the fact that you can never quite tell what’s actually happening to Benny and what’s simply a manifestation of his grief, compulsions, and lack of medication.
Barak Hardley Is A Perfect Lead
Though I can’t presently speak to Barak Hardley’s other work, he’s an absolute treasure in Spell. Benny is a complex character with personal hangups, recent traumas, and the endless intrusive thoughts that somebody with OCD has to deal with, all while navigating an unfamiliar landscape where everybody seems to be screwing with him on not only a human level, but a spiritual one.
He’s rightfully wary for all of these reasons, but whenever pressed, no matter how gently, he simply says “screw it” and does pretty much whatever he’s told. Since Jess’ death, which prompted him to go on this trip in the first place, he’s got nothing to lose and figures his life can’t get any worse, so he just goes along with everything that’s thrown at him.
Benny’s search for fulfillment and meaning doesn’t leave him with any easy answers, but his journey isn’t necessarily linear either. Grief comes and goes, and he’s just going through the motions while trying to unpack his demons in the most unconventional way possible. The question that remains is whether he finds the answers he’s looking for.
As of this writing, you can stream Spell for free on Tubi.
