Anguish tells the story of Tessa, a teenager whose past has been punctuated by mental illness diagnoses and hospitalization, and the real root of her issues: she’s got a supernatural “gift” that allows a recently-slain girl’s spirit to easily take possession of her. The film’s been compared to It Follows—certainly a compliment—and I would add that it’s handling of the spirit underworld, which is not an easy thing to pull off, Is reminiscent of Insidious. At times, this movie is trying to be too many things: a psychological thriller, a teen drama, even a meditation on teenage mental illness (the film opens with a PSA-style summary of stats about teenage mental disorders). Because of this, the movie tends to stray and meander, and the end tries to tie all threads together too desperately.
