WFG RATING: A-

Lionsgate presents a Bazelevs Entertainment/Flag production in association with Overland Pictures. Written and directed by Pablo Absento. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Mariya Zatulovskaya. Editing by Aleksandr Kletsov and Ilya Zevakin.

Stars Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Sawyer Jones, Malcolm Fuller, and Kane Kosugi.

A soldier discovers a shocking revelation about his son after a near fatal drowning in this film from the producer of Unfriended and Searching.

After a traumatic event changes the life of Jack and Hannah, the couple decides to take a vacation to Tokyo when Jack, a soldier, goes on leave. However, a nearby bombing has forced all leave to be suspended until further notice. At Jack’s request, Hannah takes her sons Kyle and Steve to Tokyo. While Jack calls in to check on the family, tragedy nearly strikes. 

During an outing to a lake, Kyle nearly drowns but luckily survives the ordeal. At first, things seem to be okay but soon, they aren’t. When Jack witnesses Kyle attacking Steve and biting his arm, he suspects something isn’t right. As Kyle begins to exhibit more strange behavior, Jack’s attempts to talk to the doctor who helped Kyle are futile. Since he can’t leave, he calls his friend Ryan to keep an eye on the family while he searches for answers and discovers something shocking. Kyke has been possessed by a “kappa”, a Japanese mythological demon. 

A subgenre of the horror genre involving a film made up of video calls was pioneered by 2014’s Unfriended and continued the trend with films like Unfriended: Dark Web, Searching, and Missing and even the Shudder original Host, which is totally underrated. This new film, written and directed by Pablo Absento, brings something fresh to the mix in terms of bringing a mythological Japanese demon into the fray as it possesses the younger son of the family. 

Ben McKenzie, known for his breakout roles on TV’s The OC and Gotham, is great as the worrying Jack. What makes his role standout is the fact that he can’t do anything on a physical level in terms of trying to save his son because he is stationed elsewhere and not able to leave. Kudos also goes out to Bojana Novakovic for her role of Hannah, Jack’s suffering wife who may have found peace at first, but Kyle’s situation opens old wounds, in particular, the opening scene where the couple welcomed a daughter only for her to pass away stillborn. 

Malcolm Fuller is also great as Steve, the older brother who after getting bitten by Kyle, also suspects something is wrong so he uses his expertise in technology to help his dad get to the bottom of things. As for Kyle himself, Sawyer Jones gives off a Danny Lloyd-kind of vibe in the role while being possessed by the “kappa”. In a rarity to action fans, Kane Kosugi plays it straight as Ryan, Jack’s friend who looks after the family and goes to help him with Kyle’s situation as well. 

Bloat continues the trend of films made through video calls, but brings something fresh to the table with the appearance of the Japanese myth known as the “kappa”. Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, and Kane Kosugi all churn out exciting performances in the film. If you’re a fan of films like Unfriended, then this is one that is highly recommended. 

The film comes to select theaters, VOD, and Digital on March 7.