Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | Final Verdict
The Story:
Lyle is horror movie about a lesbian couple grieving after the death of Lyle, their infant daughter.
Gaby Hoffman plays Leah, Lyle’s biological mother, and Ingrid Jungermann is her partner, June. While Leah and June look for a two-bedroom apartment with their daughter, they find one in Brooklyn. During the walk through of the empty apartment, the landlady, a woman in her sixties, notices that Leah is pregnant again although she’s barely showing. She says the apartment has never had a family with a child before, then mentions that she’s trying to get pregnant.
When Leah voices concern that the apartment may be over their price range, June tells her not to worry. June is expecting her career in the music industry to pick up.
As June immerses herself in work, Leah is left to tend to their daughter and unpack. And as she removes the wallpaper from Lyle’s bedroom, she discovers nursery wallpaper beneath it. She also finds Lyle talking to an “invisible friend” and sees the landlady in the hallway looking pregnant.
As Leah is on the phone with one of June’s recording artists, Lyle wanders around the apartment talking to herself and falls out an open window. It’s an unfortunate tragedy that Leah has a difficult time not blaming on herself.
Distressed and grieving the loss of her child, Leah begins to question the odd happenings around the apartment. When she discusses her concerns with June, they get brushed off as being part of Leah’s grieving process. But as Leah continues to look into the history of the building, she discovers disturbing facts that can’t be ignored.
Some Thoughts:
Lyle is often compared to Rosemary’s Baby because both movies center around a pregnant woman who believes the people around her may have ulterior motives. The stories are also similar, a young couple moves into a new apartment and soon their partners become successful.
As Rosemary’s Baby hinges on Rosemary being convincing, Lyle also needs the woman playing Leah to sell it. Luckily, Hoffman is excellent. She gives us a controlled performance, playing Leah as a woman in emotional turmoil; trapped and confused. I bought it hook line and sinker.
Rebecca Street is believable as Karen, the older landlady who longs to be pregnant. She comes off as odd yet harmless. Jungermann’s performance as June is flat and a bit lifeless. The rest of the cast give serviceable performances.
June’s career is a bit vague. She works for a record label, but we’re never told exactly what she does. I assume she’s a producer, but I’m not sure.
Lyle is meant to be a slow burn horror film that relies on building suspense but doesn’t deliver. The camerawork and overall look of the film is perfect, but the suspense never rises above mild concern. During the final conclusion, the viewer should be on the edge of their seats instead of calmly filing their nails, glancing up occasionally to see how it ends.
The end of Lyle is only vaguely clear. One more scene cementing how it all played out would have given the film a more powerful conclusion.
Final Verdict:
While Hoffman’s performance will carry you through Lyle, the lack of suspense and dull conclusion spoils the ride. Lyle would have been a near perfect horror/suspense in the hands of a more seasoned director.