September Says ★★★★

Released: 21 February 2025

Director: Ariane Labed

Starring: Mia Tharia, Pascale Kann, Rakhee Thakrar

From the moment September Says begins, there’s a chill in the air—an eerie tension lurking beneath the surface, waiting to unravel. I first saw this at last year’s London Film Festival, immediately gripping me. This is a film that seeps into your bones, refusing to let go.

At its heart is the intense, near-obsessive bond between teenage sisters September (Pascale Kann) and July (Mia Tharia), raised by their single mother, Sheela (Rakhee Thakrar), an artist and photographer. September, the older of the two, is fiercely protective but also deeply possessive, while July, quieter and more curious, has spent her life being pulled into her sister’s shadow. When September is suspended from school, July gets her first taste of freedom—a shift that unsettles the delicate balance of their relationship.

Hoping to mend the growing cracks between them, Sheela takes her daughters to an old holiday home on the misty Irish coastline. But instead of healing their fractured bond, the isolation amplifies it. The walls of the house seem to breathe with unspoken secrets, the sea whispers things that shouldn’t be heard, and the sisters’ connection warps into something more dangerous. As reality begins to blur, July is forced to question not just her relationship with September, but whether she can trust her own mind.

Labed’s direction is breathtaking—every frame dripping with unease. The Irish landscape, with its dense fog, desolate beaches, and dark, winding forests, becomes a character in itself. The crumbling house they retreat to feels haunted, not by ghosts, but by something more abstract—grief, memory, and the slow decay of a family breaking apart. Labed never rushes the horror; instead, she lets it crawl under your skin, using loaded silences, eerie stillness, and a creeping sense of dread rather than traditional jump scares.

The cinematography is hypnotic, bathing scenes in muted, dreamlike tones that make the film feel like a waking nightmare. Its use of shadows and reflections subtly distorts reality, pulling the audience deeper into July’s fractured psyche. It’s intoxicating, unsettling, and utterly mesmerizing.

Johnnie Burn’s score cuts like a whispered threat, proving nothing short of haunting. The music doesn’t just accompany the film—it wraps itself around it, heightening every moment of unease. Soft, lullaby-like piano notes twist into jagged, discordant strings, mirroring the emotional shifts between the sisters. The sound design is just as crucial—the wind carries whispers, the distant waves crash with an ominous rhythm, and the floorboards creak with the weight of something unseen. Silence is used masterfully, turning even the quietest moments into something suffocating.

None of this would work without the powerhouse performances at its core. Pascale Kann is absolutely magnetic as September—charming, volatile, and deeply unsettling, she dominates every scene with her mesmerising, terrifying presence. Mia Tharia delivers an emotionally raw performance as July, embodying the delicate, slow unravelling of a girl desperate to break free but terrified of what that means. Their chemistry is electric, shifting between tenderness and menace with unnerving authenticity. Rakhee Thakrar, as their mother Sheela, brings warmth and heartbreak in equal measure, playing a woman watching her daughters slip beyond her grasp.

September Says is not just a film—it’s an experience. A hypnotic, slow-burning descent into psychological horror, it lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. Labed’s debut is an astonishing, gothic-tinged fever dream that explores sisterhood, obsession, and the fine line between love and destruction. With stunning performances, impressive cinematography, and a score that seeps into your soul, this is one of the most unforgettable films of the year.

Ariane Labed has arrived, and she’s here to haunt your dreams.