Netflix Releases Sci Fi Thriller The Last House

One of the most beautiful things about Steven Spielberg’s films is their ability to make even the most mundane aspects of a story feel extraordinary. Often that happens through focusing on suburban families working or in the middle class and showing how they fight for survival. This could mean battling rampaging dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or facing an alien invasion in War of the Worlds. Seeing a family go through fantastical strife serves as a potent reminder of how precious family can be and why those relationships should never be taken for granted.

This blend of the mundane and the miraculous forms the beating heart of Netflix’s original sci-fi thriller.

Directed by Louis Leterrier of Lupin and Now You See Me fame, The Last House follows the Delgados family. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, they discover that every exit in their home is sealed shut and every attempt to leave is foiled by a mysterious power related to the rain. Worse still, they are not alone because every house in their neighborhood faces the exact same issue. Panic arises but is briefly quelled when a neighbor out for a jog runs off to get help.

The introduction to the Delgados and the reveal of their entrapment happen in less than twenty minutes. Other survival movies often plod along at a snail pace while sprinkling clues to build unease long before a twist hits. Leterrier denies viewers that luxury in The Last House by delivering a sudden shock to the system.

Left to weather this abrupt and indefinite imprisonment are parents Jason, played by Wagner Moura, and Ann Delgados, played by Greta Lee. Their children are eldest Graham, played by Noah Alexander Sosnowski and Gabriel Barbosa as the pre-teen and teenager versions, and youngest Ruth, played by Riley Chung and Emma Ho as the child and pre-teen. Moura and Lee exhibit solid chemistry from the moment they appear on screen. Jason is an engineer currently out of a job who desperately wants to provide for his family by any means necessary. Ann is a quiet yet fierce woman who aims to protect and inspire her children equally.

When the Delgados become trapped, their prior struggles shape their reactions to imprisonment. Ann remains determined to protect her children from the psychological damage of months spent locked away with the real world just beyond a thin wall. Jason has time to prove he can provide as an unemployed father. One scene shows them burning overdue mortgage payments in the fireplace for kindling.

This tight-knit family unit provides a clear nod to Spielberg’s filmography. Viewers may wonder who, what, and why these events are happening, but they will likely remain too enamored with the Delgados to care until the real threat finally reveals itself. Leterrier spends ample time portraying the family as a community that would go to the ends of the earth for one another.

Leterrier builds up the joy of the Delgados family before ripping it away. Watching them break down over the loss of modern conveniences, food, electricity, water, and communication proves devastating. Much like the family, their house also begins to unravel over time. Days and years are marked on the wall, floorboards are pulled up for plants and food, and cracks form in the corners and crevices as the foundation sinks into soaked earth.

The fractured Delgados family highlights complex questions throughout The Last House regarding survival and human choice. The struggle of the Delgados against a horrifying reality is extraordinary, yet their effort to remain true to who they were before their world changed feels human and grounded. The Last House is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: Polygon