WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS (2016)

By: Tyanne Elias

When the Bough Breaks, a film directed by Jon Cassar, is a horror/romance movie that was released on September 9th, 2016. 

The 1 hour and 47 minutes long movie stars well-known actors such as Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, and Michael K. Williams. Other actors that contributed to the film’s psychological thriller elements include the vibrant Jaz Sinclair, Romany Malco, and Theo Rossi. 

When the Bough Breaks delves into the intricate nature of surrogacy, a luxury mostly afforded to the wealthy, fixation and the perils of unbridled yearning. John Taylor (played by Morris Chestnut) and Laura Taylor (played by Regina Hall) are an affluent couple who cannot start a family.

 After several failed full-term pregnancies, the couple decided to hire a surrogate, Anna Walsh (played by Jaz Sinclair).  Initially, Anna seemed the ideal candidate, as she was a young, introverted, healthy and coy young woman who was passionate about helping a young family. However, this façade eventually diminished as the pregnancy progressed. 

Anna’s unstable, obsessive, deceiving behaviour slowly started to reveal itself as she yearned for what Taylor had: a loving husband. 

The film advances into bloodshed, deception, and intimidation as the Taylors, especially Laura, fight to protect her unborn child and reclaim her husband from the clutches of an unstable Anna who would do anything to have the perfect family.

The rising action begins with Anna undergoing the necessary procedures and ultimately becoming pregnant for the couple. 

Moved by her story of being less fortunate and being in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend Mike (played by Theo Rossi), the couple invited her to live in their home. Little did they know that, at first, it was all an elaborate plan by Anna and her boyfriend to get their hands on some quick cash and to rob the family. However, Anna had abandoned this plan and started detaching herself from her boyfriend after becoming fixated on John. She begins to subtly flirt with him and was delusional enough to believe that John, herself and the baby would become a family. 

The tension builds as Anna starts to become dangerous, obsessive and irrational. She runs away with the Taylor’s unborn child and threatens to kill herself and the baby if she doesn’t get John for herself. 

Recognising the situation at hand, the Taylors had to engage in some elaborate mind games to deal with the unstable Anna until the baby was born. This led to the film’s emotional, predictable resolution, with Anna gone, and the Taylors finally holding their healthy baby boy.

The film appeals to the viewer’s auditory and visual senses. With warm tones in the beginning, happy faces, and relaxed dispositions, which symbolised hope and new beginnings. It shifts to shaded and darker lighting as the film’s tension increases with the soundtrack reflecting this.

 John Frizzel’s composition, Legion Movie Score Suite Soundtrack (2010), was instrumental in setting the sombre, suspenseful mood using sharp strings and low-pitched hums. The close-up shots of the surrogate revealed her deadly intentions, mental fragility and mischievousness; a contrast to her friendly disposition initially shown. The costumes used throughout the film reflect this change in Anna. 

Dressed in hippie, modest clothing, Anna transformed into provocative, seductive clothing in hopes of gathering the attention of John Taylor. Once a quiet, simple girl doing a favour for a family, Ana changed into a girl who wore noticeably inviting makeup with red lipstick, red dresses with long slits, skimpy pyjamas and modelled around in her bathing suit. This shows the character change Anna had undergone and how she was beginning to unravel. 

The costumes and recurring theme of broken glass are strong symbols within the film. While the change in costumes, especially for the antagonist, represents burning, spiralling desire, the broken glass, as represented in the movie’s poster, symbolised the broken trust and fragmented control over the entire situation. This mirror is used to reflect the change from surrogate to scourge. 

The film portrayed characters in a positive light and vice versa. Anna provided viewers with a multi-faceted view of her character, which captures her change from beauty to the beastly, then from carer to killer. John Taylor, and Laura Taylor represent a strong and united couple who would defy any odds to protect their family. 

Ironically, though Laura wasn’t the one physically carrying her baby, her fight mode as a soon to be mother was particularly astonishing and overwhelmingly challenged many myths about surrogacy. 

When the Bough Breaks is a suspenseful film that debunks many assumptions about reproductive choices and sheds light on the option of surrogacy, with caution. However, the narrative was one that viewers are somewhat familiar with: good over evil. 

This led to a conventional storyline and dialogue. Nevertheless, the overall acting seemed almost realistic, which made the film entertaining.