Modern version of Carmilla at an all-girls boarding school in the Northeast
Rebecca (Sarah Bolger) becomes suspicious of a mysterious new student (Lily Cole) at her private prep school. Is it just teenage jealousy heightened by trauma over her dad’s death or does Ernessa have a dark secret?
“The Moth Diaries” (2011) is a psychological youth drama that eventually throws in bits of fantasy or horror. The latter is low-key with enough ambiguity about what’s going on to (mis)lead some. I can’t say more because I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll just point out that “Carmilla” is emphasized in the English Literature class, which was written by Irish novelist Sheridan Le Fanu and published in 1872, predating Bram Stoker's "Dracula" by some 25-26 years.
The setting of course brings to mind “Dead Poets Society,” just replaced with students of the feminine gender, not to mention the events take place in 2010 (when the flick was shot). The story respects the intelligence of the viewer to put the pieces of the puzzle together. For instance, why would the Asian student (Valerie Tian) be so foolish to throw a chair through the window at a party? Why would a certain adult so unwisely come on to a student, risking career and future? It’s not bad writing; the answers are there.
Just keep in mind that the vampire lore of Carmilla isn’t the same as the more popular lore of Dracula.
As far as the cast goes, statuesque Lily Cole (Ernessa) has the uncanny face of a porcelain doll while Bolger is effective enough as the protagonist. One wonders if everything she experiences is all in her head (even though it’s not).
Fans of “The Woods” and “The River King” should appreciate this. It’s superior to the former, but not quite on the level of the latter.
The movie runs 1 hour, 22 minutes, and was shot in Oka, Québec, and Montreal, which is a dozen miles east of Oka.
GRADE: B-
