The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper is a chilling and thought-provoking movie, released in 2021, starring Alexandra Loreth, Joe Mullins, and Jeanne O'Connor. The film, inspired by the famed short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a heady mix of psychological horror, societal commentary, and the exploration of mental health.

The movie revolves around the life of Jane (played by Alexandra Loreth), an author struggling with postpartum depression. Through a series of circumstantial situations, Jane is confined by her husband John (Joe Mullins) to a dilapidated manor in the countryside. The act is apparently to help her recover, far removed from stimuli that may aggravate her condition. The husband coercively imposes the Rest Cure on her, a treatment popular in the 19th century that advocated for removing women from intellectual activities and enforcing rest.

Depicting this backdrop sets the tone for a compelling storyline. It lays groundwork for understanding the societal expectations of women in the late 19th Century, and the backlashes they faced when they attempted to defy convention in any form. The narrative design masterfully portrays the suppression, illustrating how the character of Jane begins to unravel physically and psychologically due to her enforced isolation and intellectual repression.

Distinctively profound is the role of the titular 'Yellow Wallpaper.' It’s more than just a part of the room; it eventually becomes an entity on its own. It evolves into a sort of warped reflection of Jane's deteriorating mental state as she obsessively decrypts patterns in it, projecting her anxieties, realisations and descending insanity onto the discolored, hideous wallpaper.

Alexandra Loreth’s depiction of Jane is commendably authentic and viscerally disturbing, painting a vivid picture of the desperation and manic frustration derived from repressive paternalistic control. As Jane, she rigorously tests the boundaries of sanity imposed upon her, providing audiences with an in-depth portrayal of the suffering mental illness could enforce, especially amplified in societies that fail to acknowledge and respect the condition.

Joe Mullins, as the domineering husband John, brings forth a performance filled with arrogance and dismissiveness. His disdainful nature toward Jane's condition, his belittlement of her creativity, and his abject fear of a woman existing outside his control paints an uncomfortably real picture of a societally-induced tormentor.

Jeanne O'Connor, offers a commendable performance as Jennie, John’s submissive and obedient sister, living testament to the compliance with societal demands of femininity in those times, forming quite the startling contrast to Jane's rebellious temperament.

Director Kevin Pontuti and writer Aric Cushing have successfully recreated the horror and despair prevalent in Gilman's original short story in this cinematic representation. Significant details have been added, extending the original plot beyond its confined room, but successfully maintaining the essence and core themes of the narrative.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a skillful adaptation from written prose to visual media, exhibiting excellence in cinematography, sound design, and performance. The intricate attention to detail beautifies every frame, each shot becoming a piece of intricate artwork that only enhances the disturbing atmosphere. The film examines themes such as femininity, mental health, societal repression, and the unfolding horror of endlessly spiralling down the abyss of insanity.

On the whole, The Yellow Wallpaper (2021) provides its viewers with a deep-dive into the horrifyingly intimate struggle with unnerving psychological trauma. It stands as a sinusoidal graph of tension that continually oscillates between moments of eerie calm and unsettling terror. Add to this potent mix a brilliant cast, excellent direction, an evocative screenplay, and an aesthetic that does justice to the harsh reality it vividly brings to life, and you get a psychological horror film that's disturbing, compelling, and absolutely unforgettable.