Maria (Lily-Beau Leach) is a 7-year-old girl living in South East London during the mid 80s in Hoard. Maria and her mother Cynthia (Hayley Squires) spend their evenings going around neighborhoods and dumpster diving. Although that’s just what it looks like from the outside. For the two of them, they are finding treasures all over and bringing them home. These adventures not only create wonderful memories for Maria but lead to even more joy using their imaginations to continue the fun at home.
While collecting these treasures comes easy to Maria and Cynthia, getting rid of any is more difficult. In fact, it borders on impossible for Cynthia. As the nightly rituals stack on top of one another, so do the piles of garbage throughout their apartment. This is the only world Maria has ever known; she doesn’t even realize that anything may be amiss. That pushing a mountain of trash aside to be able to even the front door is not normal. Until one day she does begin to question it.
Ten years later Maria (Saura Lightfoot-Leon) is now living with her foster mother, Michelle (Samantha Spiro). Michelle has provided her with a good life filled with love. There are times when certain objects or comments effect Maria. They stir up feelings deep inside her – eliciting memories that seem to be covered in fog. One day Michael (Joseph Quinn), one of Michelle’s former foster children, temporarily moves back in to her home. Michael and Maria form a bond, and their relationship is the catalyst for her repressed childhood to come flooding back.
Luna Carmoon both wrote and directed the film. Hoard happens to be Carmoon’s first feature length film. However, serving in both capacities is something that Carmoon is used to. Carmoon has written and directed all of her prior projects. In line with the talent behind the camera, Hoard happens to also be Lightfoot-Leon’s feature length debut. Yet based on her performance, one would be hard pressed to know that.
The film has a compact cast with Lightfoot-Leon and Quinn shouldering a large portion of the responsibility. This is a task that neither shy away from. While the cast delivers strong performances overall, Lightfoot-Leon and Quinn set themselves apart. There is a genuine raw emotion to their performances. One that, at times, may be difficult to comprehend – but is nonetheless powerful. Both Michael and Maria have childhood trauma that has shaped who they are as adults. This draws them together with Lightfoot-Leon and Quinn convincingly portraying the unique and tumultuous relationship.
There are some truly distinct aspects to Hoard. Most notably the framing and angles of certain shots help make the film feel unique. Carmoon includes some interesting scene transitions and is able to capture the magic of imagination, for children and adults. At times the flow of the narrative becomes muddled. The timing of events and motivations of certain characters seem unnatural and jumbled. Hoard features top notch acting and a fairly interesting story. However, the film is a tough watch with several moments of discomfort throughout and is not for everyone.
Hoard is in select theaters now.
