I went into Appendage with an open mind, and I think that is the only way you can approach this movie. The strength of the movie was the main character, and her personal journey was enough to keep me watching from the get-go.
I am a fan of magical realism, notably writers Jeanette Winterson and Gabriel García Márquez, and Appendage was a creative contribution to the film genre, something we rarely see. The only other film classic I know of is Like Water for Chocolate, which is based on an equally amazing magical realism novel.
Appendage did a great job of manifesting the main character’s insecurities into the villain. As the narrative unfolded, the story attempted to make sense of the magical realism, which weakened the overall movie, to me, but did not ruin it. The movie ended on a very strong note that the villain was the protagonist’s subconscious, which confused me, and I think the movie would have been stronger without the epilogue. Either commit to the narrative reason for the magical metaphor or fully lean into the magical metaphor as an allegory.
Aside from that narrative contradiction, Appendage was really good, and I would recommend it for a movie night 🍿.
Zlokovic, Anna. Appendage, Hulu, 2023.
The Devil's Muse 