The Estate

The Estate is a satirical mess that tries to expose the worst side of human greed. But because of its lack of creativity, the talents of Toni Collette, Anna Farris and Kathleen Turner are wasted in an unamusing rollercoaster of edgy and try-hard comedy that amounts to little laughter. In the event of their aunt’s cancer, cousins fight over the inheritance of her estate. Their efforts cross uncomfortable subjects that highlight the extremes people will go to for money, from allusions to incestuous relationships, prostituting family members, murder ploys and hiring sex offenders. Predictable and expository, The Estate is tasteless and boring.

Everything about The Estate is very on the nose. Even the theme song parades the lyrics, “They say money is the root of all evil, I know I ain’t an evil girl”. The dialogue comes across as unnatural, with plenty of misplaced exposition, and the depth of each individual is measured by what others say about them rather than what is shown throughout the film. Because of this, there are no interesting characters to carry the stakes of the feature. While none necessarily need to be likeable – especially with a premise such as this – it’s still a bore to have no one to root for as everyone is equally insufferable.

The characters don’t come across as human, which fundamentally undermines the feature’s satirical efforts – because satire is rooted in how fragile humanity can be, and the appalling deeds and acts that can happen in real life. When the characters no longer feel like people, they can’t expose the errors of real-life human beings. But The Estate’s worst offence is that it tries to appear hyper-aware of its own hypocrisy, without actually being so. This is exhibited in the portrayal of Macey (Collette) who attempts to be the moral high ground of the group.

There’s some effort to be artistic with the production: unsteady camera movements, constant shaking and cuts highlight how chaotic the events and individuals are. The constant switch up from one character to another signals just how many are clamouring for Aunt Hilda’s (Turner) inheritance. But there’s a disconnect between these cartoonish renderings and the tone and visual aesthetic of the film. The events are messy, but because of the heavily blue and dull colour filter, there’s no energy to any of the scenes. All it leaves is something bland and unwatchable.

Mae Trumata

The Estate is released on Sky on 13^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for The Estate here: