The Apology 2022, A Christmas Day Nightmare

Told from the viewpoint of an ex-alcoholic mother on the anniversary of her missing daughter Sally, “The Apology” has all the markers of a solid thriller. Darlene combined the simple aesthetic of a snowy landscape on Christmas Day with her sobriety. She sought to find the child that simply vanished into thin air. What begins as a tawdry missing person storyline quickly descends into something much more sinister.

In the middle of the night, Darlene picks up a bottle for the first time in 20 years unable to push aside her grief for another minute. Just before she opens the booze, she hears a knock at the door and finds her ex-brother-in-law outside. Instantly suspicious, he gives her the super red flag “my car has broken down” line, and anyone who’s watched a scary movie before knows something fishy is about to happen.

Jack, and her ex-brother-in-law share a long history. But the more he talks to Darlene as she makes them both some tea, the more insipid his conversation becomes. There is something ominous in his questions. He talks to her about what she would do if she was ever to come face to face with the person who took Sally. What’s more, he constantly tries to reconcile the previous romantic spark they had between them. This means Darlene was sleeping with her sister’s husband.

Watch The Apology Movie on Shudder

Allison Locke’s feature film directorial debut feels like a storm about to break almost the entire way along. The Apology’s trailer would have you believe there is a lot more excitement than the film includes. It’s neither here nor there, however, because this is a story about Darlene. A woman who felt she was to blame for not being as vigilant as she could have been when her daughter didn’t come home from school one day. The narrative constantly queries a parent’s worst nightmare. All the could have, would have, and should have that led her to embark on a 20-year stint of finding the truth.

Darlene proclaims many things in the moments before the realization dawns on her that Jack is here to unburden himself. She wants to know one way or the other if Sally is dead or alive. If given the opportunity she would want to know every last detail of her disappearance.

Revenge Fantasy Movie

The Apology movie does lean into a predictable subtext. Once all the cards are on the table, there is quite a bit of a power struggle between Darlene and Jack. The tension is palpable whether you know what’s in store or not. The film even goes as far as to question its legitimacy. Jack’s appearance can’t all be about confessing his sins, right? Why would someone who’s effectively gotten away with something want to smooth out their wrongdoing? Fortunately, Locke has plenty of left-hand turns to push before it ultimately relieves you of its stressors.

The tension only abates towards the final act when it looks to deliver one final blow to its audience and give them a play-by-play of what happened to Sally. All things aside, the title needed to include these details because not having them wouldn’t have shown how devious Jack was in his efforts to conceal his crime. The recount does leave an unpleasant aftertaste to deal with.

For an alternative review of The Apology, see RogerEbert.com’s take.

The Apology 2022 is rated

3 What would you do? out of 5

The Apology Full Movie Trailer, Watch it on Shudder

 “You asked if I had a revenge fantasy. Well, I lied.”

Quote from the movie, The Apology 2022

RLJE Films, Shudder, and AMC+ released The Apology on December 16th, 2022.

The cast of “The Apology” includes:

• Anna Gunn
• Linus Roache
• Janeane Garofalo