User reviews

Clock is a film that could have been good. It has a solid premise and set-up, although some of the dialogue is a bit heavy handed. The acting is solid - Agron is a great lead. However, the plot is completely scattershot and by the end the film has lost sight of whatever point it was trying to make. It constantly shifts gears, and in the second half piles on plot developments that really amount to nothing. Which is a shame because I think if it picked a lane and fleshed that out it could've been a really tight and engaging film. It's also devoid of any scares - though one scene at a birthday produced some solid tension.

...from the caviar, salmon roe, and chicken eggs to the fish climbing out of the sea. The metaphor here is beyond Dr. Seuss style, you can't miss it.

As a sci-fi concept, this would have been amazing. If it were my movie , I would have cut the first scene completely (playground, it added almost nothing, the little it did is a spoiler), and then got more into the "clinic." But it's not and so it went from horror to horrible slow and steady.

One thing I'll give, the suspense sucks you in. It's so completely offensive and shocking you want to see where it's going. It's definitely a train wreck you can't look away from.

Despite what some of the reviewers say...yes. There are some very insightful things that are addressed in the story. But it doesn't pay off in the end, in my opinion. It's a bit confused, i think...part of it a commentary on child bearing/rearing and part of it a horror story. But i don't feel the two blended well...maybe in two or three rewrites, but it felt like it was still a work in progress and found itself needing an ending which wasn't at all satisfying. Just a 'let's do this and get it over with' type last act...the first two acts were enjoyable, though. And endings are difficult. But important.

Would not recommend it if you are looking for a good old horror movie. The movie had a decent setup, a few scary scenes, and the potential to be a great horror movie. However, halfway through, it seemed like the filmmakers decided to abandon the ghost/horror stuff and instead opted for a Disney fairy tale-like storyline with the usual message about how everyone is perfect, and there's nothing to fix. . Most people, including myself, expect a horror movie to be scary. Instead, this movie goes for social and political commentary that may be important, but not whats expected of a horror movie. If anything It was more cringeworthy than horror.

This Psychological horror about a woman running out on her biological clock and falling prey to the peer pressure to have a baby. She decides undergo an experimental study where she is promised to overcome her fears and fix her broken biological clock to ensure her pregnancy well by triggering her need to have a baby. The fear she has stems from her family's past and her own mindset where she feels just not ready yet. But is the procedure she signed up for, devoid of negative side effects? How does it impact her and her life forms rest of the story.

This is truly an intriguing concept and there are unsettling scenes. The problem is the pace is rather too slow and despite those key scenes which do work, the film as a whole simply doesn't. The peer pressure to have a kid is understandable but those scenes weren't established properly as Ella's dynamics with her friends wasn't etched well. The same thing happens with the family and much of it is told verbally. The unsettling scenes don't scare. The ending however was indeed good. Needed a much tighter narrative to leave an impact.

I adore horror movies that are still finding ways to be different this day and age. Alexis writes and directs a love poem metaphor to women everywhere who don't want to have children in a society where they are made to feel like outsiders.

The lead actress's performance is absolutely stellar, the writing is great, and the body horror is apt (albeit of a narrow stripe, that will likely go over the head of those who don't enjoy cerebral horrors).

If you like your horror movies to be intellectual, Feminist, well-acted, off the beaten path, and just plain interesting as compared to the usual fare, Clock will work for you. I very much look forward to seeing more of Alexis' work in future.

This film is about the social pressure women face all over the world to get pregnant. The subject is actually very interesting but the execution was not good. I also wonder why movies are labeled as "horror" when they are anything but scary. The main character is a woman approaching 40 but the social pressure she feels and the steps she takes to get pregnant also affect her mental state. In an attempt to make the story more interesting, links to the Holocaust are thrown into the mix, to absolutely no purpose. Unfortunately it's not scary at all, if anything it was more cringeworthy than horror or suspense.

A talented interior designer struggling with her biological clock(and her family, friends and society insisting that she get a kid) agrees to a clinical trial to fix it, and things take a turn for the worse.

This is a highly effective piece of elevated horror. There's some incredibly visceral gore. It's only 85 and a half minutes long if you don't count the end credits, and I understand why some say that it should have been an episode of an anthology series like Twilight Zone instead. If it were even 10 minutes longer I would be saying it should be trimmed. Diana Agron delivers an amazing performance as Ella, the protagonist. Honestly, it's worth watching at least once just to experience that. The visual metaphors are very obvious and a little of the thematic material is repeated maybe one or two times too many - "my name is Dr Elizabeth Simmons" especially.

It is very much the product of the Jewish 30-something female writer-director Alexis Jacknow, exploring the anxiety felt especially by her and people in the same situation. Part of this is seen in how it incorporates the Holocaust, fears that it might be repeated, and Jewish guilt. Some have felt that it mishandled Shoah, I disagree. I found it to be appropriate, in good taste, and I think when something so awful happens to a people they should have a lot of freedom in examining what it does to them.

I recommend this to anyone who wants something that honestly looks at the pressures to reproduce and all of the concerns that come with. 7/10.

I really enjoyed this movie. I found it to be relatable as another woman who doesn't want children. Nowadays I know more women who don't want children than do and I think its great. How many of us repeatedly have been asked when we are going to have children is so obnoxious and its very insulting, but unfortunately that's the world we live in.

I really enjoyed the conversation the protagonist had with the doctor as to why she doesn't want to bring a child into this world. It really resonated with me. Her reasoning is due to her ancestors living through the holocaust and why she wouldn't want to bring a child into this world. I don't want to give anything away, but that scene was very thought provoking.

This movie won't be for everyone, but for those able to look at things objectively I think you will enjoy it. I can see myself rewatching it again in a few years since it's a story that sticks in your mind.

Clock is a particularly female-oriented horror film.

So I'm not sure that I am the right person to be reviewing.

As, in the film, we find ourselves following Ella (played by Dianna Agron), who is facing the ticking of her biological clock, and all the anxieties that come with it.

Doctors seem to think she suffers from a syndrome, that instills a deep seeded fear about having children within her.

So it doesn't help that she feels pressured to have children by her family and friends...not to mention, nature, itself.

As a result, she subjects herself to a series of grueling psychological tests, at an institute that is studying women with her condition.

A series of tests that force her to confront the underlying darkness that has prevented her from having children up until this point.

This darkness seems to be a trait inherited from cultural trauma, passed down through the generations.

A trauma relating to her Jewish ancestry, and the experience her family went through during WWII.

With these rigorous psychological tests bringing her underlying anxieties to the surface...in the form of a series of bizarre hallucinations.

Making the whole thing a psychological horror.

As this darkness starts to consume her life.

And affect her relationship with her friends.

Particularly the pregnant ones.

The name of the film comes a grandfather clock her father owns, which is her family's most prized heirloom.

Being the only thing they managed to salvage from the war.

So it, not only, symbolizes the pressure she feels to procreate...but might also harbour a dark supernatural force...which has been preventing her from wanting to bring children into such a broken world.

It all seems to be pretty straight forward, until they throw a bit of a twist in at the end.

Which solidifies her descent into madness.

A result of the manipulation she feels she is being put through.

Agron does an excellent job, portraying a woman spiraling out of control, as a result of the transition from potential motherhood, to being a crone.

Ultimately leading to the film's unexpected conclusion (even when the hints are there).

I see that this film has been garnering some rather harsh reactions - mostly, from male viewers.

But I don't think they are warranted.

Because it is both an entertaining, and engaging, film.

That held my attention throughout.

But don't take my word for it...cause I'm just a dude.

As only middle aged, and post menopausal, women can truly understand.

5.5 out of 10.

A movie where time is the enemy? Why not? And not just biological clock but time itself, where an actual clock is the devil himself A movie rich with symbolism and ideas, at times to many ideas at once which sometimes takes the movie off the rails.

There are many aspects to the story: A satire dressed as horror. A black comedy dressed in blackest of black. Or a psychological thriller. That's the strength of the story, it's multifaceted aspects.

As mentioned the director wants to tell a lot. Above all about pregnancy and why choosing to not wanting children is taboo even today. Is that really what our society is about? Are you really a woman if you choose to not have children?

But it also tells about heritage and legacy. What is a legacy worth if you choose to go without children? But there is also something to say about time itself..

Where the movie ultimately fails is that there is not enough plot to warrant a feature film. The middle of the film basically feels like one giant filler story, only there to transport you to the ending. You can only so much with body horror scenes.

Had it been a short film the themes and execution would have worked much better. But it is not a bad movie at all, at least it will make you think..

I was really excited to see this movie. The previews looked really good, and since I never really have the time to watch a full movie all at once, I was putting a lot of stock in this one. Boy, was I wrong!

By about halfway through the movie I was beginning to realize that there would be no climactic ending. There were a lot of missed opportunities with this movie. I feel like the message was there in abstract, but many of the scenes were just so horribly done that the entire concept completely missed the mark. This was one of the biggest wastes of time. The ending fell really flat. Don't even bother!

So bad, so many things that don't make a bit of sense... for one it plays like it's being read from a book, the lines are cheesy and delivered like someone reading for an audio book or voice acting. The topic is good, it could've been relevant and relatable, but the movie plays way too far from reality. Ur telling me the main character quits her "dream job" and amazing life and marriage, to go to a clinical trial for something she doesn't want to do (have kids) nor has ever wanted to do? Yeah I'm so convinced! Not to mention she goes without telling her husband, which didn't make any sense. Why did it have to be a huge secret? There were many scenes that made me laugh but weren't meant to be funny... the ONLY good thing about this movie is it has Jan from The Office playing the Dr who's facilitating the trial lol. Some other freaky deaky scenes with frozen chicken eggs and fetus' swinging from its umbilical cord between a woman's legs like a clock. Okay I know I'm making that part sound cool, but trust me it's not.

Interesting allegory on generational conflict, the burden of inheritance and patriarchal stereotypes related to conception. The hallucinations are effective, and the surprise ending works. It is not easy to put the theme of the Shoah into a horror film, but the director succeeds in portraying the drama of the descendants of the survivors. Lastly, the ability to contaminate elements from various films of the genre deserves praise: the 'Rosemary's Baby'-style plot, the 'Altered States' tank, the 'Dead Ringers' set-up, etc. Not recommended for pregnant women and anxious expectant fathers. The title sums up several elements of the script.

I've been duped. The only reason I watched this movie is because I love horror flicks. But they pull a bait-and-switch. Instead I watched a movie about female fertility, child birth and biological clocks. And when I realized that, all I could think is, I would have never watched this movie in a million years.

They do add a few traditional horror elements, but they are scarce and extremely weak. Not one moment creeped me out or made me jump. Zero suspense, zero tension. It's extremely boring with almost no intrigue. And to top it off, there is a ton of propaganda of various sorts.

Avoid this movie at all costs. (1 viewing, 3/10/2024)

If you have nothing better to do or to watch,sure give it a try ... but if you can avoid it do it.

From what I've seen some people enjoyed it,but it really wasn't for me and here I'm not talking about the subject of the movie but about the execution of it.

I felt like the movie was all over the place, with a no clear direction as to what they want to deliver, not to mention the ending which was a total miss.

The acting was good, the subject was interesting but the continuity of the plot was just not there. Not to mention about the horror aspect ... it had few scenes that could be labeled as that but the movie as a whole was definitely not horror.

Clock (2023) was recently added to Hulu. The storyline follows an almost forty year old woman, Ella, who is happily married, wildly successful but feels guilty for not wanting/having children. Her husband sets Ella up with a therapist who starts her on a progressive treatment. Ella begins seeing things and having delusional thoughts. Will Ella be able to come to peace with her mindset or lose her mind trying to conform to society?

This movie is writren and directed by Alexis Jacknow, in her major motion picture debut, and stars Dianna Agron (The Family), Melora Hardin (17 Again), Grace Porter (Spoiler Alert), Jay Ali (Carnival Row) and Saul Rubinek (Unforgiven).

The storyline, characters and premise were all very realistic and were delivered in an authentic way. The acting was good and the phobia sequences felt believable. The tall girl, her makeup and look, was well done and the horror elements get better and better as the plot unfolds until the end, which was better than I anticipated. The entire ending with the husband and therapist were rewarding.

Overall, this has a realistic storyline, takes a bit to get going but ends very well. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

I'm all about firmly establishing that putting pressure on people to have children is a cruel, ignorant, arrogant, awful thing to do. Whether the source of that pressure is society and culture, peers, family, tradition, or anything else at all - even hormones and biology - the very notion that people who can become pregnant can and should and must sacrifice their will and autonomy to anyone or anything else, and that refusal or declination to do so suggests one is "broken" or "abnormal," is a level of horror that's all too real. In turn, it's only reasonable that a movie should be made about exactly that. I would say that filmmaker Alexis Jacknow approaches all this with a heavy hand, but then, when the question in the air is one of self-autonomy and self-determination in the face of monumental opposing forces, there's not much room for nuance. On the other hand, this is cinematic storytelling we're talking about, and not politics, and however potent and admirable some dialogue and scene writing may be on an emotional level, extending that heavy hand to the construction of the picture isn't necessarily as smart or commendable. It's not that this isn't well made, or that there aren't good ideas on hand, because this couldn't be further from the truth. Yet the fact remains that for all the fine craftsmanship and intelligence that went into it, 'Clock' feels hard and blocky as a viewing experience, like a key that doesn't truly fit into the lock of our brain.

I'm going to keep using the phrase "heavy-handed" here, because it's all too appropriate. While the overarching concept already provides a thick, viscous layer to take in, like the most unforgiving humidity that you nevertheless have to breathe in, there's more. Other ideas that Jacknow adds to it might be a step too far; protagonist Ella's family history, and the sense of obligation that follows therefrom, are ideas worth exploring, and the lines Ella drops in one key conversation with Dr. Simmons in this regard are all too on point - but this extra angle just feels excessive in light of, well, that entire first paragraph I just wrote. The psychological angle is full of delicious potential, but it's one that specifically requires a very delicate, subtle hand to do well; as there's no mistaking that Jacknow's digits are leaden, the approach kind of falls flat. Disturbing imagery is genuinely gnarly; intended jump scares, and the most unnatural visions to present, just seem out of place here. The shift in the color palette, the cinematography that keys in on Elle's troubled mindset, dialogue and scene writing to follow in the latter half: in far, far too many ways, in conjuration and in execution, 'Clock' practically beats us over the head with every odd and end. In every capacity there are a lot of terrific ideas here, and I recognize a great bounty of possibilities in what this could have been. "Could have been," however, is not "is."

Even before the revelation to come in the last act, precipitating the finale, the result of all this heavy-handedness - one clunky, boulder-sized dispensation after another - is that the whole feels a little scattered and unfocused. As if to emphasize the point, while on the one hand Ella gets another triumphant moment to shine in the last small stretch, what follows in the very last few minutes just feels like an absolute mishmash, as though Jacknow couldn't figure out exactly how to end the story, or what she wanted to say.

Everything looks and sounds good from a standpoint of the fundamental construction. Production design, art direction, visual effects, sound effects, music, direction, acting, editing, costume design, hair, makeup, cinematography: even if I don't agree with all the choices made, I appreciate the hard work and skill that went into this. Jacknow's direction is mostly just fine. I really do like the ideas that she put into her screenplay. The sad fact remains that, not least given the psychological edge to the storytelling, what this feature needed above all was a more carefully considered, thoughtful, tactful approach, in almost every manner. Even for all this, I think 'Clock' represents a fairly strong first full-length film for Jacknow, and I truly look forward to seeing what she does in the future as she further develops her skills as a storyteller and filmmaker. Part of me feels bad being so critical here because I recognize the earnestness of the intent, and all the ardor that made this what it is. Still, however smart this or that may be, when you get down to it the final product just isn't particularly thrilling, or entertaining, or satisfying - not even on that emotional level that does provide some gratifying tidbits here and there. I wish nothing but the best for Jacknow, or anyone else involved, and all the best of luck in their future endeavors; may this 2023 flick be a platform that helps them step up to something more.

A woman who doesn't want to have kids? How could she not want to? How unnatural! People saying these things are the reason this movie was made. As a woman of a certain age who still feels ambivalent, this resonated with me. Sure, the sources of outside pressure for the main character are amplified to a degree that's almost comical, but what makes it scary is the feeling created by these pressures in the film is not far off from the mounting external pressures I feel in my own life. They exaggerate to give others a taste of what it feels like, if you've never experienced it. The lack of trust and worry she has about her partner not being on the same page as her, even though he *says* her health and well-being is what's most important. This is a big fear of any childfree person. Can anyone take me as I am without secretly wanting to change me? That's a horrifying thought in and of itself. Trying to change yourself on a fundamental level is a bad idea this film tells us - but what happens if those constant outside pressures get to be too much and you give in? A disturbing commentary on what it feels like to be told on a daily basis that your feelings are wrong and need fixing.

This was a movie that I heard about on a couple of podcasts that I listen to so I decided to give this a watch as a Featured Review since I couldn't make it to the theater. What I heard sounded interesting and figured this would make for an interesting watch as someone who is a bit older than normal to start their family. I've given it a second go to see where I sat with it. I liked the concept and the message, but there were things with that first watch that didn't sit well. Wanting to see how it worked a second time.

Synopsis: a woman enrolls in a clinical trial to try and fix her seemingly broken biological clock after friends, family and society pressures her to have children.

We start this off with a harrowing scene. A woman is distraught and bleeding. She sits on a swing. We see her then climb up and use the chain to kill herself. Something falls from her when she does. It looks like a cogwheel.

It then takes us over to meet our lead, Ella (Dianna Agron). She is married to Aidan (Jay Ali). Her first scene is at a party for her friend Shauna (Grace Porter), who is pregnant. It appears that the other friends also have families. They ask Ella the age-old question about when she is going to have a baby. She says she doesn't want to have them. They don't understand and tell her that soon she will come around. What I loved here was that they asked what she does all day without having children and to be honest, it looks great with how she uses her time.

We then see Ella as she goes to a new gynecologist, Dr. Webber (Nikita Patel). She was highly recommended by her husband, who is also a doctor. The exam goes well and it ends with the doctor asking if she plans to have children. Ella gives her safe answer to which Dr. Webber informs her that she doesn't have time to wait. Ella reveals that she doesn't want children and doesn't feel the same that her friends and family think she should.

The family pressure comes from her father, Joseph (Saul Rubinek). He and Ella are Jewish. He uses their family history, saying that what her ancestors went through, she is throwing away and ignoring. It is his belief that Ella should continue their line to honor them. To complicate this, Aidan wants children. He doesn't want to pressure Ella into having them and they have a dispute in bed when she relents to what her father said. This bothers Aidan.

The movie then gives us more of the conversation between Dr. Webber and Ella. She got her into a clinical trial for an experimental treatment. This is led by Dr. Elizabeth Simmons (Melora Hardin). The goal here is through medication and therapy, to get Ella and the other participants to want to have children. They will discover the root of the issue and correct it. There are other dangerous side effects here as Ella hallucinates. She must weigh whether it is worth being 'normal' and losing herself in this experiment or to stick to her beliefs and feelings.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that the love the concept of this movie. What I didn't realize until getting married was that women are asked the questions, "When are you getting married?" and "When are you having kids?" a lot. Jaime had a traumatic birth experience and was asked when she was having a second almost at once after returning to work. As a male, I've been asked. Not nearly on the same level. I'm thankful for Jaime to give me this insight as it helped me understand this movie even more.

I don't want to move away from this idea just yet though. I hate that society puts the pressures like this on women. They frame it in this that Ella isn't normal for enjoying her life and not wanting children. She has fears of childbirth and for good reason. It can be a traumatic experience. It also doesn't help that her mother passed away from breast cancer at her age in the movie. This isn't a direct correlation, but it still a part of the reproductive/woman anatomy. We see this pressure put on her by her friends and doctors that she visits.

That isn't where it stops though. Her father also presses her. Her grandparents survived the Holocaust. Joseph claims that if she is doesn't have children, she is dishonoring everything they went through all the way back to when the fish climbed out of the water to start the genetic line that would become humans. That line also didn't necessarily work for me. It doesn't say what Joseph did, but for how religious he is, that is a science way of looking at things. It could be possible. I'm just assuming from his age and faith that someone else probably should use this.

I'm going to then shift to filmmaking here. The reason is that in the synopsis it brings up biological clock. This almost feels like a literal thing with how often it is brought up. That is by design. Cinematography and framing includes this item as well. Joseph has a family heirloom that is a grandfather clock. There is one that torments Ella in her room for the trial. This goes to be a bit heavy handed with the imaginary, but it fit the vibe with how often is brought up. Sticking here, I do think that the overall message is also too in your face. Since this was made by a woman and knowing the things that Jaime has said, that feels by design as well.

Moving away from this, the rest of the cinematography was good. The effects were solid with how real the blood looked was great. There is also a subplot that with this treatment, Ella is losing her ability to see colors vividly. As a color-blind person, I found that intriguing. This is important as well since Ella is a popular interior decorator. Her use of color is what she is known for. This goes ghostly a bit with the Very Tall Woman (Rosa Gilmore). I like how she factors in. Other than that, the soundtrack was fitting for what they needed. That did get a bit repetitive with the voice-overs where I was getting frustrated. I get why it done though.

All that is left then would be the acting. Agron was great in this lead role. I like that we are seeing she is happy. Peer and family pressure is cracking that though. It felt real so I wouldn't be shocked to learn she was channeling things that she's experienced. I'll be honest, it feels heavy as well. Hardin was solid as this doctor who runs the trial. She seems like she is there with the best intentions, but I get a mad scientist vibe. I like Ali, Porter and Rubinek, as well as the other friends. They mean well but put pressure on Ella to conform. The cast around them rounded this out for what was needed. It was solid across the board.

In conclusion, I did enjoy this movie despite its heavy subject matter. I like what they're exploring as it has a message that needs to be said. This does feel like it is made more for women as I felt the message came on a bit too strong. With how often my wife gets asked these questions though, it might not be a fair critique from me. The acting helps though with making this work. Agron is good and is pushed to where she ends up by the surrounding cast. This is well-made. The best parts are the cinematography and look of the blood used. The imaginary is also overused as it repeats voice-over dialogue, but not enough to ruin this by any stretch. Not one that I can recommend to everyone. If you're a woman, give this a watch or if you like social commentary in your horror. That could turn off viewers though.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

Ella (Dianna Agron) is 37 and not wanting to have kids. Her father wants her to reconsider coming from a family of Holocaust survivors. Her husband Aidan tries to be supportive. Her doctor sends her to Dr. Elizabeth Simmons (Melora Hardin) who is doing an experimental trial on the biological clock.

I get the psychological horror aspect of this movie especially for childless women of a certain age. This one loses me with that baby swinging between her legs. It struck me as stupid, silly, and obvious. It reminds me of Freddy Got Fingered and it had the same effect. It's an outrageous joke. I understand her Kafkaesque surreal journey, but I don't want it to be silly. This stumbles into silliness a few times.