The film opens with an intense diatribe from conservative television news celebrity Sammi Gellar (Madeline Brewer) on her popular show. Think of a younger, prettier version of Tucker Carlson, and you’ll get the idea (let’s not give Fox any ideas for a replacement, though). She is adamant that true Americans must “prune” the rot taking hold of the nation. Her words unintentionally inspire a follower to commit a mass shooting. While protesting the role her words played in the shooter’s inspiration, something strange takes hold of Sammi from the inside.
Pruning initially seems like a film concerned with delivering a taut political statement, but it soon becomes enters body horror territory with a hint of jingoism. Look, the more one reviews indie films of any length, the more refreshing it is to see novel ideas. I’ll count myself lucky if I never see another indie horror centered on vampires or zombies. Sign me up for ones that say something beyond the simple devotion to genre tropes. Pruning is a gem. The director strikes the right balance between fascination and revulsion, with the grotesquerie of the political discourse unsettling the viewer much more than the body horror on display. Lola Blanc is a badass, and she just may be the horror filmmaker the country needs as we head toward another exhausting election cycle. Pruning premieres at the 2023 Palm Springs Shortfest.
