Reflective Encounters

“Sophie Littman creates an unsettling atmosphere as she deftly blends horror tropes and dreamlike imagery, all filtered through the lens of British social realism. While Know The Grass – the title itself riddled with obtuseness and an air of the mysterious – trades in plenty of overt moments of genuine unease, from scenes shrouded in blood red filters, a discordant soundtrack of pulsating bass notes and effective use of jump scares, it’s the general air of the unknown that creates the most terror here. With a conspicuous lack of adults to guide them – their mother mysteriously unavailable to take them to a rehearsal – the trio of siblings at the centre of the film tries to make their way in a world which seems curiously empty and full of signs and portents.

While the film’s ‘through line’ is narratively straightforward, Littman shrouds everything with an intense ambiguity as the film touches upon a number of weighty issues, including the fear of death, the pains of growing up and attitudes towards mental health.  With a sense of the tactile thanks to being shot on film – proceedings awash with the feeling of the hazy afternoon sun drifting into a cold and unforgiving night – Know The Grass is often disconcerting yet cinematically exhilarating.”

— Laurence Boyce