The House (2022) review:
After an embarrassing series of banal misses, Netflix’s new stop-motion animation dedicated to grown-ups out there finally scores a rebound shot.

After letting down many global audiences with disappointing releases that are more generic than Hallmark Christmas movies, Netflix has finally brought us something that is worthy of our time and subscription fee. Three different stories are told by three teams of renowned directors and animators from across the world, luring people into the magic of stop-motion, black comedy and thriller fantasy. And everything revolves inside a single setting – the House. From the meticulous frame-by-frame fabrication of the cotton ball-like characters to fast-paced, suspenseful unfolding of anthologies, The House invigorates the Netflix users’ low level of expectation that had hit rock bottom after the Kissing Booth trilogy and He’s All That.

The first piece, “And heard within, a lie is spun”, follows a family who took an offer of giving up on their small, yet cozy house for moving into a luxurious mansion under construction. While the parents are dazed at the sight of luxuries, two young sisters begin to realize that the House is full of faceless, fishy workers plotting against their new masters. When a fire breaks out, the parents, who have turned into lavish furniture of the mansion – a very naked symbol to the tragic end of materialistic minds - are left behind, burning in their own voracious greed and long-overdue regret. Untouched by insatiable materialistic desires, the kids successfully escape the House.

The second segment, “Then lost is truth that can't be won”, is all about criticizing our current era of showing-off. Now, the House seems modern and smart, bedecked with an indoor aquarium and a brand-new set of superfluously overpriced music speaker. The real story, however, is that the House is being quickly gnawed by creepy termites, and is ready to be sold to anyone who shows a tiny bit of interest. Blinded by this immediate gain to get rid of the House, the developer falls victim to his own chicanery by giving his absurd dog and pony show away to an old rat couple who turned out to be another pair of pests. From the first segment to the second one, it becomes clear that poverty and the insects were not the mainsprings of tragedy. It was, after all, mere cupidity towards luxury. And at the very sight of the calamity, the House stands as the main stage of three different downfalls of rapacious materialistic minds. While doing so, the film also clashes with the conventional idea of ‘home’ - the House is no sanctuary, but a site of mayhem that would have been better off as a no man’s land. As the House turns out to be a place no better than a prison; not only the characters, but the audiences feel helpless and defeated.

Because every cloud has a silver lining, “Listen again and seek the sun” tells a story of a cat (her name is Rose, a personified, independent female cat) who is hyper fixated in restoring the House. In the age of apocalyptic climate change and worsening floods, she insists on not leaving her home – a space where her happiest memories were made. Not long after, Rose falls into despair when her housemates start to venture outside the sinking House to find a new home. When this heavy-hearted, stubborn cat finally gives up on the House and overcomes her long-held fears, the House transforms into a sailing ship. Now packed with hope, courage and passion, Rose sets on a new adventure. As the third segment magically lifts the doom and gloom from the previous tales, a sense of catharsis is delivered to the audience; and, believe it or not, this was from Netflix.

So, if you have ever imagined a film-child of Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and have been looking for one, The House is it – a fine combination of charming characters and spine-chilling stories. Despite the deplorable debacle made by several (if not most) Netflix originals, The House lends a hand in breaking the vicious cycle of mind-numbing self-torture sessions, and it does not let us down.