Adalynn (2023) User Reviews

Disquiet

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 29 March 2023]

Man, this movie made me nervous -- not a bad review, mind you -- and I can't even imagine how a mother would be watching it. Adalynn (Sydney Carvill) is a new mom coming to terms with the pain of postpartum depression and maybe something more terrifying. Sure, she lives in the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood in the perfect town with the perfect husband Dr. Bill (Wade Baker) but certainly things have become quite imperfect.

Adalynn has just given birth to Elizabeth, but all she can think of is the child she lost before. She's off her meds and all alone as her husband is gone for work for a whole week, with a child we never quite see and a mania that we quite plainly do.

Directed by Jacob Byrd and written by Jerrod D. Brito, this is a movie that's disturbing for what we think may and could happen and that's what good horror is all about. I don't know if I could watch it again, as it's upsetting to think of a child in this much danger from its own mother, yet I can't help but call it out for being such a well-made film and Carvill handles herself quite well in a role that has to carry the entire load of the movie.

Slow burn....

[wesman-24227 · 3/10 · 28 June 2023]

Ok.. this... an interesting journey into post partum depression. Hard to watch if you are a new mom... the lead actress did an ok job. Not understanding why dad would take a week long trip during this time. A mother with a newborn but not over tge loss of another child. The baby.. we never actually see and in some scenes is way to obviously fake.

I say slow burn because this movie is supposedly a horror film.. I guess no longer understand the genre because this isn't horror. It's maternal guilt portrayed in a hard to watch way. But again..I praise the acting of someone who has to carry an entire film virtually alone. Not good.. but not bad.

Well acted but rather tedious postpartum horror.

[dweston-38669 · 29 November 2023]

Sydney Carvill is solid as the young mother going through hellish, sleepless nights with added paranoia and I liked the one single location set within the house; just to add to her nightmarish paranoia.

However the whole film is rather annoying as its just one nightmare after the next that the audience knows she's dreaming. Adalynn dreams the baby is missing, Adalynn wakes, Adalynn dreams someone is in the house, Adalynn wakes - repeat. That even those who haven't seen any horrors would become figgity.

The ending doesn't make much sense either- did Bill agree to trial out a baby doll just to help with Adalynn's loss and eventual recovery? If so why would he embark on a week long conference knowing his wife is emotionally and mentally unstable... and alone? If this was a clinical trial then it's highly inappropriate.

Interesting movie, too bad I saw the original, et al.

[song_of_rainbow · 2/10 · 3 July 2023]

I figured the outcome of this not even remotely original movie very early on. Let just say that boxes that came in the mail (or I guess from Amazon since it's this time and age) were a give away. I guess they figured, "who the heck will remember the first one, probably those people are all dead by now." Well considering that one of my doctorates was in psychology, I did remember. I was surprised that the husband was actually the husband, since this one did say he was the husband. I guess that made it an original. LOL This subject has been used multiple times in movies. If you are younger than me by a lot you may like it.

Anti-Climactic, To Say The Least.

[meddlecore · 2/10 · 7 February 2024]

What did I just watch?!

Obviously, it's a psychological exploration of post-partum depression.

But I wouldn't classify it as either a horror or thriller...rather, just a drama.

Calling it a slow burner is an understatement.

Because literally nothing happens in this film.

It's just a low budget film that attempts to portray the psychological downfall of a woman who miscarries.

With bad voiceovers that are meant to be auditory hallucinations.

And some very mediocre acting.

Seriousness of the topic, aside.

This film is just way too slow and boring.

Even during it's "climax" (which is rather anti-climactic, to say the least).

I mean...the whole thing is based on character development.

But I never found myself caring about the character.

So it was really hard to remain engaged with it.

Perhaps it's because I'm not the target market for this kind of story.

But I just found this to be a completely forgettable film.

Clock is a similar kind of film that does a much better job attacking the subject, in my opinion.

2 out of 10.

Skip this depressing and non event movie

[echaczyk · 1/10 · 30 November 2023]

Boring. Woman has a baby and must handle the postpartum days by herself. This movie seemed like it was originally a one woman stage show. The other actors appear for mere minutes. The only horror about this movie was the ubiquitous title got me to watch the movie. Go watch something else.

There is a spoiler at the end, but you would have to be an idiot NOT to have seen it coming right from the beginning of the movie. I mean, it's hard to believe a new mom is both breast feeding and bottle feeding every two hours. And the husband doesn't seem to care one bit that a timer goes off for a feeding cycle or helping with the baby.

An interesting psychological thriller...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 31 December 2023]

What I sat down to watch the 2023 movie "Adalynn", I had never actually heard about it. But the movie seemed like it would be worthwhile watching, given all the award emblems on the front of the movie's cover. And with the movie's synopsis also being somewhat interesting, of course I opted to sit down and watch what writer Jerrod D. Brito and director Jacob Byrd had to offer.

I figured that I was in for a horror movie here, but "Adalynn" was more of a psychological thriller than it was a horror movie. So that was a little bit disappointing. Not that the movie wasn't watchable or enjoyable, because it was. I just had expected a bit more scary contents.

Writer Jerrod D. Brito put together a fair enough script and storyline for director Jacob Byrd to bring to the screen. There was a good narrative progress throughout the 88 minutes that the movie ran for. And director Jacob Byrd was definitely good at slowly building up the tension and the narrative.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Adalynn", but it should be noted that they had a good ensemble of actors and actresses. Especially leading actress Sydney Carvill really carried the movie quite nicely with her performance with the distraught and challenged Adalynn character.

Visually then "Adalynn" was okay. It is not a movie that make use of a whole lot of special effects or CGI. And that sort of makes it a minimalistic movie, in a sense. But it works, because director Jacob Byrd didn't need to deliver a barrage of special effects to win over the audience with the narrative in the movie.

This movie is worth sitting down watching, if you enjoy a psychological thriller that sort of takes you on a chaotic ride through a woman's degrading mental health and spiraling descent into madness and frustration.

However, "Adalynn" is hardly a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing, as there isn't really sufficient contents and meat on the bone that is the storyline for more than a single viewing.

My rating of "Adalynn" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Solid psychological thriller!

[stevesinger-2001 · 8/10 · 29 March 2023]

"Adalynn" is a really well done psychological thriller that is engrossing, anchored by a very strong performance by Sydney Carvill as the titular character.

"Adalynn" begins as Adalynn and her husband Bill return from the hospital with their new infant daughter. We learn right away (in consistent voice-overs by Adalynn and her actions) that Adalynn has some mental issues which seem to be getting acerbated due to post-partum issues. She convinces her husband to go to a conference, saying that she can take care of their new child, and he reluctantly does. But alone, Adalynn begins to descend more and more into instability which may be made worse by events, either real or imagined...

One of the things I like about "Adalynn" is that it doesn't try to trick us -- it puts its cards on the table pretty early on and while it takes some zigs and zags to get the ending, it's never dishonest. And that makes it far more intriguing and disturbing than it might have been otherwise. The performances are uniformly excellent, especially (as I mentioned previously) Ms. Carvill, who is on screen for almost the entire film. And I really like that the movie actually fully explains what's going on at the end.

Pretty strong recommendation on this one from me.

Treads the line between horror and psychological thriller

[evtechnician · 9/10 · 10 October 2023]

The subject matter is real and this movie takes your there . Powerful performance by Sydney and the Dr . Makes you think this could really happen. I would love to see more from this cast . The reality of postpartum depression is chilling and this film reminds you of all the horror stories you hear in real life, yet it remains tabu to talk about . Makes for a very interesting but scary subject . No one could have predicted the ending they take you through so many doors that you are sure of nothing until the end . Keeps your interest though . I don't often watch horror or psychological thrillers but this one held my attention , like the "Shinning " or "Shutter Island " I'm glad I didn't pass it up .

Disturbing, immersive indie thriller!

[jester665 · 10/10 · 1 January 2024]

This movie deals with mental health issues and uncomfortable parental tragedies that could be triggering for some viewers. Otherwise, "Adalynn" is a layered descent into madness that aims to put the viewer in the title character's shoes. Some may be put off by this, but the director really captures and illustrates the frustration and confusion Adalynn faces throughout the film.

At times, it's uncomfortable. Other times, it can be heartbreaking. Some parts may intentionally squeeze a chuckle out of you. But if there's a takeaway from this film, it's that it really calls out the real-life taboos about postpartum struggles mothers often feel like they need to keep secret.

This underrated thriller may divide audiences, but it's worth a watch nonetheless.

Might need to think about if mental health is triggering before watching

[astraight-05807 · 9/10 · 11 November 2023]

It seems a little underrated, honestly. I would say it probably should have had a description that even sort of touched on how potentially triggering to a select kind of audience it would be potentially problematic for, but I get the feeling that was kind of the point. The description was vague, there isn't a lot of context given unless you watch it. If you have the hyper vigilance like I do, it will all make sense along the way. There are details super small for support which is actually brilliant. So many tiny clues, though if you miss them? You're not lost without them.

I knew what the end would be to some degree, which is almost always the case with movies/shows, though still found myself a bit off at the point. I knew it was coming, fully expected the outcome, and yet it still felt like I needed to make sure I was right. That should be skipped by a larger, though still not huge, group of people who might be triggered by it. With good reason, I might add. Think serious mental health issues, without giving the whole thing away. If this is a sensitive subject for you? Please skip the movie. Though there is something to be said about the portion that speaks to bringing awareness and the idea that shame forces a masking behavior. It's deeper than it comes across.

It's definitely not rated according to the brain of someone that appreciates the layers of the story more than the budget. And frankly? It probably wouldn't have been so worth the watch with a higher budget. If you can bring yourself to watch it, you'll understand why. That's not to say movies with a similar plot line haven't been made, as with almost every other movie you will see. Obviously the horror concept relates to a very real occurrence in mental health which a million other movies could touch on as well. The likelihood of understanding the mental illness exists, has been part of true crime stories with a different plot line, and even possibly knowing someone who has the symptoms in real life? That's the horror aspect. That's the root. Which is kind of a brilliant way to label horror as an avid horror movie watcher. It's a different take than a slasher or paranormal thriller. I would recommend for my reasons, but again? Not for all.

End Credits

[rorchsix · 8 February 2024]

I actually passed out when my wife put this on, so i can't give a solid review. The song that played through the end credits though, i loved it, and i can't find it. I tried shazam and googling different segments of lyrics; no dice. Can anyone help me out?

I need to fill this space with words just so i can post this question, i dont know where else to ask otherwise i wouldent waste time or space here. Dang, this part is going to be longer than the orgional question at hand. And i still need 100 characters at this point. I suppose ill make waffles for breakfast today and a ham sandwhich for lunch.