Tubi Tuesday: Spell (2018)

“Spell” is a simple but captivating meditation on grief, addiction, and self-discovery anchored by a potent lead performance.

Benny (Barak Hardley) isn’t doing so well.

Deep in grief over the death of his fiance Jess (Jackie Tohn), he’s taken an impulsive solo trip to Iceland, though even he seems unsure what he hopes to get out of it. It seems like he could’ve used a bit more planning because he very quickly runs out of medication to control his OCD, manifesting in strange urges to lick things and stick sharp objects in his ear.

Wandering aimlessly around Reykjavik, he eventually befriends some locals, in particular Inga (Birna Rún Eiríksdóttir), who convinces him to get a tattoo of some ancient Icelandic runic sigils, claiming they mean “good luck.”

After an awkward, drunken hookup in his hotel room, Benny awakes to find Jess’s engagement ring is gone, along with a chunk of his hair and some other—ahem—less visible personal items.

In his quest to be reunited with the ring, Benny is sent on a demented “Eat, Pray, Love” odyssey across Iceland in the care of a stern guide named Steindór (Magnús Jónsson). But as it turns out, this trip is about more than just giving Benny an interesting sightseeing opportunity.

As the true nature of the journey is revealed, Benny must confront his pain and possibly overcome it.

Hardley is one of those recognizable “that guy” actors whose face you’ve likely seen many times, even if you don’t know the name attached to it. He’s appeared in projects from Master of None to The Mortuary Collection, along with that Capital One commercial where he plays with a Samuel L. Jackson action figure (hey, anything to pay the bills), among many other things. He’s usually a guest actor and a day player, rarely given the space to stretch into a leading role.

Working from a script he co-wrote with John Lullo and director Brendan Walter, he takes the rare opportunity to lead a film and runs with it.

Much of the movie rests on his shoulders, particularly in its back half, and he makes for an appealing entry point to this strange saga. He wears his grief subtly, rarely losing his composure but communicating it through a general sense of lostness. His OCD compulsions could come off as gimmicky, but he grounds them with a sense that giving into them is inevitable but offers no real relief.

This is definitely one of those movies that prefers ambiguity to clear-cut answers, and opinions may differ as to its effectiveness. But as one man’s magic-tinged dark night of the soul, I found it pretty compelling.

Despite its heavy themes, it’s surprisingly lighthearted, and the natural humor that’s made Hardley a frequent presence on sitcoms still comes through.

Walter and cinematographer Eric Bader effectively use some starkly gorgeous Icelandic vistas; Walter’s background is mainly in music videos, and he brings a keen sense of visual economy to the film. At times, it feels like it was made mostly as an excuse to travel to Iceland, which is honestly not the worst reason to make a movie I’ve ever heard.

The supporting cast does strong work as well, particularly Tohn, who makes Jess into a well-rounded character in her limited screen time, struggling not to let her memory be defined by her addictions.

Jónsson is also excellent as Steindór. His stoic nobility is a fun foil for Hardley’s clueless American tourist routine, at least until things get weird.

The hallucinatory final act finds Benny forced to face his grief in a very palpable way. It’s a pretty major break from the more contemplative pace of the rest of the movie while also managing to feel inevitable.

Overall, Spell is a pretty slight movie, more of an indie curiosity than a major work.

But if you’re on its wavelength, its mix of indie dramedy and magical realism makes for an intriguing combination.

At the very least, it should hopefully lead to bigger projects for Brendan Walter and more lead roles for Barak Hardley.