Another trend in contemporary horror cinema has been the mockcumentary horror movie. Usually this means "found footage" type movies, but in the case of Lake Mungo, we have an actual mockumentary. Think something along the lines of those supernatural "documentaries" that show up on the Discovery Channel and TLC, but coming off as an actual, serious documentary with higher artistic and thematic inclinations. Lake Mungo is horror as it should be, psychological, emotional, and creative. It essentially documents the life of the Palmer family in the aftermath of the tragic drowning death of their daughter Alice, and their struggle to cope with and overcome the grief produced by it. The supernatural elements really do not come into play until about halfway through the film, and even then, they do not move in full force until the last fifteen minutes. Instead, Lake Mungo is about its characters, who are all convincingly well-crafted. Unlike a lot of mockumentaries, this actually feels like the real deal. Having dealt with the loss of close family members myself over the past couple of years, I can say, at least from my perspective, that the depiction of grief here is more than just accurate. Director Joel Anderson and his actors really work hard to bring a genuine emotional honesty to the screen. Anderson is also careful not to ruin the mysteries presented in the film, and respects the unknown, expecting the audience to think what they will. This is not a sign of an underdeveloped script, but rather of a mature and intelligent one. If, like me, you are sick of the state of mainstream horror, Lake Mungo is definitely worth tracking down and watching.
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