Freaks

Freaks is a 2018 science fiction thriller film written and directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein. Starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, and Lexy Kolker, the film follows a seven-year-old girl (Kolker) who leaves her home for the first time after being kept inside by her father (Hirsch). The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was released commercially in North America on September 13, 2019, by Well Go USA Entertainment. It received positive reviews, with praise for Kolker's performance. Plot Seven-year-old Chloe Lewis has spent her entire life confined to a decrepit house with her father Henry, who forbids her from leaving under the threat of being killed by "the bad men". Despite her father's warnings, Chloe longs to experience the world outside her home and desires a maternal figure in her life, due to never meeting her deceased mother Mary. To help Chloe have a normal life, Henry seeks to educate her on general social behavior so she will one day be able to pose as a member of the neighboring Reed family. Chloe observes strange occurrences in the house, such as Henry expelling blood from his eyes and visions of a woman in her closet. Over time, she learns about "abnormals", individuals with superhuman abilities who are hunted by the government's Abnormal Defense Force (ADF) and contained in an underground facility known as Madoc Mountain. When Chloe eventually manages to leave the house, she discovers her own abnormal power of manipulating a person's mind at the prodding of an elderly ice cream truck driver. The ice cream truck driver reveals he is Chloe's maternal grandfather Alan, who believes his daughter Mary is still alive. Chloe realizes that the ghostly woman in her closet is Mary, who is being held captive at Madoc Mountain. Henry and Alan are also revealed as abnormals, identified by their bleeding eyes. Henry uses his time-altering powers to cause only a few months to pass outside of the house during his seven years with Chloe. Upon discovering that Chloe has left the house and been in contact with Alan, Henry brings her to the Reeds with a large sum of money, only to be turned away when Chloe uses her abilities on the Reed matriarch Nancy. Nancy subsequently contacts the ADF to deal with Chloe and her family, but Chloe tricks the agents into believing the Reeds are abnormals and they kill Nancy.