Tubi Tuesday: Home Education (2023/2025)

For those open to a slow-paced family and supernatural horror, “Home Education” rots in really gratifying ways.

MORBID MINI: This imperfect but compelling labor of love is a standout for its strong lead performances, resonant themes, and memorable touches that help this slow burn linger.

What an intriguing, messy world crafted within Home Education.

Set in a rural Italian town, we are introduced to the Glimm family. Philip – father, artist, and medium of sorts – believed he had the ability to communicate with and, in cases of profound connection and belief, resurrect the dead.

The things we want will come. Wanting makes them true. The things we want will come. And all I want is you.

I use the past tense to describe Philip because it is revealed very early on that Philip is dead.

The entire film centres around how his wife, Carol (played by the impeccable Julia Ormond), and daughter, Rachel (Lydia Page, who miraculously matches Ormond’s level), navigate their initial shock and grief around this loss. The unique and complicating factor here is that Philip told Rachel she possesses the same extraordinary powers he does, namely the ability to communicate with the spirit world and facilitate reanimation.

If dark family stories with a strong supernatural element draw you in, I think you may appreciate this piece as much as I did.

I need to commend Page’s and Ormond’s particularly engaging performances. Page lights up the screen with her earnest curiosity and innocence, while also landing some sharp moments that serve as a reminder that naivety does not mean harmless.

Ormond channels her inner Joan Crawford/Faye Dunaway for some searing Mommie Dearest-worthy moments.

Building on this point about the tense dynamics between mother and daughter, the film also explores themes of mental health needs and how those needs are transmitted across generations.

What I find unique about this film is that both parents have some mental health needs, which makes Rachel’s character that much more intriguing. While Rachel seems to self-identify more with the characteristics and abilities she feels she shares with her father, there are also hints of her mother’s influence.

Her father’s characteristics are seen as powerful and welcome, whereas Carol’s are presented as cruel and unhealthy. A compelling, gendered commentary that felt like a fresh exploration for me.

Two things in life are sure, inseparably intertwined. The mind reflects the world, and the world reflects the mind.

There are also some effective visual choices. A few memorable moments evoked the same feelings I experienced watching Daddy’s Head, which is another creepy, grief-centered offering I also enjoyed.

And the bone bird-call-as-spirit-call? Or the choices related to… hmmmm, how to keep this spoiler-free and pique your interest… preservation? I adored these details immensely.

This film’s drawbacks must be articulated, and they were twofold for me: the Representation of tired clichés that made me bristle a bit, and some of the sound mixing and effects.

On the first point, the strength of Ormond’s and Page’s performances helped me forgive some of the on-paper choices related to homeschooling and Rachel’s autistic-coded dialogue (*cough*, vaffanculo) and behaviour. There are ways to present characters that are sheltered or have limited life experience that don’t require perpetuating stigmatizing stereotypes.

Shifting to the second, there were multiple moments where the sound choice took me out of the story. I appreciate the intention to create some unnatural sounds to help create the distinction between realities; however, the layering did not have the desired impact for me.

As someone with heightened sensory perception, these effects pushed me out instead of drawing me further into the increasing dread and danger.

I do recommend this one. I won’t say it with my chest, but more as a cool, chilling whistle like Rachel’s call. When you find yourself open to or in the mood for a slow-burning psychological and supernatural horror with some original and memorable details, Home Education might satisfy.

Personally, I would suggest giving it a chance, even if just to appreciate Lydia Page’s potential and be reminded of what a force Julia Ormond is.