My introduction to the Adams family was through their sophomore feature, Hellbender (2021), and I have been hooked ever since. While it is possible to trace themes like family and mortality across their filmography, Mother of Flies feels the most like a spiritual sequel to their punk rock pandemic hit.
The film follows Mickey (Zelda Adams) and Jake (John Adams) on their journey to rural upstate New York, where Mickey searches for an alternative solution to the resurgence of her cancer. Deep in these woods is a healer named Solveig (Toby Poser), who has prepositioned Mickey with the promise that she can help cure her aggressive cancer within three days. With no other alternatives, Mickey is willing to try anything, but her father is weary of this strange offer. “Nothing is ever free.” Over the next three days, the focus shifts between Mickey’s treatments, which test the relationship between Mickey and Jake, and the memories of Solveig’s life. Solveig’s poetic narration guides the audience through the film, telling a story of cherishing life, welcoming death, and the pain that connects the two.
The Adams family have perfected their own flavor of folk horror. Solveig’s practice is timeless, marrying itself with the Earth’s decay. The damp shadowy woods are ever so gorgeously framed by John and Zelda’s cinematography, illuminating the primordial and organic world amongst the trees. Layered over this natural setting is a score composed again by the family themselves as their band H6LLB6ND6R. This symbiotic relationship within the way they bring their art to life creates a viewing experience that is almost indescribable. The music they create paints its own picture, and the images they curate feel lyrical.
Their onscreen relationships reflect a twisted image of their true family dynamic, with the father-daughter relationship at the center. It is beautiful that while many families fail to ever communicate their love, fear, or anything in between–we have a unique group of artists who get to unearth and investigate those feelings alongside one another in a way that feels cathartic. It feels like a gift for their viewers, many of whom have the same questions about life and death, and may also not have a philosophy or faith that gives them the answers. By acting through the rejection or acceptance of the death of their loved ones, they bring to the screen thoughtful meditations that are soaked in blood and viscera.
Mother of Flies is haunting yet tranquil. The worlds that the Adams’ create are always moody, mysterious, and so cleverly constructed as to not show the seams of their impressively homegrown horrors. With plans to already start shooting for their next project revealed at the film’s US premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025, they seem eager to continue to show us the next evolutions in their craft–and I will gladly welcome whatever they conjure next.
Siren Death Cult 