Today, I’m going to introduce you to a movie called “Seasoning House.” The story takes place in the Balkans in 1996.
We follow a young girl named Angel as she navigates the corridors of a brothel where women are held against their will as commodities. Victor, the owner of the establishment, hands her the keys and instructs her to prepare the girls. Angel witnesses Stephen, Victor’s assistant, forcefully leading new arrivals upstairs. Memories flood Angel’s mind as she recalls her arrival at the brothel. Victor declared them his property, forcing them into various services. Shockingly, Victor mercilessly ended the life of one girl while Angel watched in horror. The rest were ushered away, but Angel remained, silently processing the traumatic event. Victor commands Stephen to leave her alone while Angel retrieves controlled substances from a hidden box. Despite the disturbing atmosphere, Angel demonstrates her skills by injecting the girls with potent substances and swiftly applying their makeup. Once finished, she returns the key to Victor and retreats to her room, where she uncovers a secret stash of chocolate under her mattress.
Angel’s thoughts drift back to the day militants invaded her city. As a deaf and mute individual, Angel’s mother communicated with her through sign language. Amid the chaos, her mother urged her to hide in the closet. However, the soldiers discovered her, launching a brutal attack on the street. Angel’s mother valiantly tried to shield her younger sister, but tragically, she was fatally shot before Angel’s eyes. The memory fades as Stephen wakes her from her reverie. Angel’s responsibilities also include caring for the girls, which involves carrying a bucket of water, soap, and a washcloth. As she moves through the ruins, the cries of the other girls echo around her. They plead for help, but Angel, although able to lip-read, intentionally ignores their desperate calls. Amidst the devastation, Angel stumbles upon an unconscious girl. Determined to help, she begins to wash her, but Stephen intervenes, forcibly removing her and taking the lifeless body with him.
Meanwhile, Victor received a phone call and informed Angel that they had guests, instructing her to prepare the girls once again. One of the captors attempted to communicate with Angel and, upon realizing she was deaf and mute, bid her farewell in sign language. After returning the key to Victor, Angel headed back to her room. As she watched the clients leave, she grabbed a bucket of water and proceeded with her usual duties.
Memories flooded her mind, recalling the time she had been alone with Victor for the first time. He had noticed her pendant and, since she couldn’t speak her name, decided to call her “Angel.” Victor claimed the angel for himself and gave her the responsibility of looking after the house. He also demonstrated the proper way to prepare the girls. When Angel returned to the captive named Vanya, she inquired about Vanya’s knowledge of sign language. Vanya explained that her father was deaf, but he was no longer alive. Sensing vibrations in the floor, Angel realized someone was approaching and hurriedly left her new acquaintance, promising to return later. In her room, she reminisced about the peaceful moments she had spent with her beloved sister. Angel unscrewed the bolts on the grate in the wall and used the ventilation system to access Vanya’s room. When Vanya asked if Angel could freely leave, Angel sadly replied that it was impossible.
Nevertheless, she brought Vanya some chocolate. As the girls got to know each other better, Vanya admired Angel’s necklace, which reminded her of the one her mother had given her, promising it would always protect her. Feeling the vibrations on the floor, Angel hurriedly returned to the ventilation. Stephen conducted his usual evening check, while in the morning, Angel made her way to Vanya and once again delivered the chocolate. Reluctantly, Angel complied with Vanya’s request, even though she didn’t want to administer the poisonous substance. Later, from the ventilation, Angel observed the harsh treatment Vanya endured from a client. This reminded her of how her father had raised his hand against her mother, and she had driven him away. Once the ordeal was over, Angel rushed to Vanya’s side, finding her in a terrible state.
Victor explained to the girls that the clients enjoyed being cruel to them and paid extra for it. They were visited by Dr. Anders, who informed Victor that Vanya’s pelvis was broken and reminded him to take better care of his “goods.” While leaving the doctor with Vanya, Victor instructed Angel to feed the other girls. At night, Angel returned to her friend and brought her some pottage in a jar. Soon, Victor began his rounds, and Vanya heard unfamiliar sounds, waking up Angel who had fallen asleep beside her. The girl barely managed to escape.
Later, Victor encountered Angel near the restroom and ordered her to go to his room. Left alone with her, Victor made a promise that one day they would be able to leave together. He gave her a universal key to all the doors in the house, including the front one. Victor assured her that he wouldn’t pursue her if she chose to leave, but he believed that Angel would never leave him because they loved each other deeply.
In the morning, Angel visited Vanya again, witnessing her friend’s pain. She held her hand, but couldn’t offer any help. Victor noticed this and disapproved of Angel becoming attached to one of the girls. He ordered his assistant to keep an eye on her, but Angel managed to elude him.
Meanwhile, new military guests arrived, and Victor recognized his former colleague, Goran, who introduced his younger brother, Joseph. Angel immediately recognized them as the soldiers who took her mother’s life and abducted her. While Goran spoke with Victor privately, a silent and imposing man named Ivan approached the injured Vanya with sinister intentions. He propped up the doorknob with a board to prevent anyone from entering.
During their conversation, Goran behaved arrogantly and threatened Victor, warning him that revealing certain details of their military campaigns would bring regret. Enraged by Goran’s attitude, Victor grabbed his pistol. From the ventilation, Angel watched as Ivan committed terrible acts against Vanya. Summoning her courage, Angel silently approached from behind and attacked Ivan with a sharp object and her hands. A struggle ensued, and Angel inflicted injuries on Ivan that were fatal. Unfortunately, it was too late for her friend, who had already passed away. Angel took the pendant that Vanya had held tightly in her hand throughout the ordeal.
However, Ivan unexpectedly revived and rushed toward Angel. His colleagues heard the commotion and tried to enter the room, but Angel managed to secure the door. When they finally broke in, Ivan showed no signs of life. Upon hearing the unfamiliar sounds, Goran suspected they were coming from the ventilation and realized it was Angel. Determined to reach her, Goran and his men confronted Victor, who strongly advised them to leave.
Angel attempted to use the universal key to escape, but it didn’t work. When she entered another room through the ventilation, Steven grabbed hold of her. However, Angel managed to outsmart him and fatally stabbed him with a Sirens. Goran arrived and tried to capture Angel, but she slipped away into the ventilation once again. In pursuit, Goran sent one of his men, Mark, after her. As Mark climbed up, Angel dropped a brick on his head, ending his life. Descending from the ventilation, Angel took Mark’s knife.
Meanwhile, the servicemen armed themselves, much to Victor’s disapproval. Tear gas was released into the ventilation. Exploiting the chaos as Goran and his men scattered, Victor shot one of them and falsely claimed that it was Angel who had somehow found a gun. While Victor distracted Goran, Angel managed to escape through a window. They immediately gave chase. Angel ran through the forest, narrowly avoiding a pile of bodies.
As Goran and his men fanned out through the forest, Victor found Angel. He attempted to calm and persuade her to surrender the weapon, emphasizing that he had always protected and provided for her. Trusting him, Angel handed over the knife. However, Victor quickly betrayed her, accusing her of ingratitude for all he had done. Enraged, Angel fought back, stabbing him in the leg. In pain, Victor fired random shots, hitting Joseph and deeply upsetting Goran. Goran ultimately finished off Victor.
Exhausted, Angel ran into the city and knocked on the first house she came across. A kind woman cleaned her up and tended to her wounds. When Angel woke up, she noticed a wedding photo on a shelf and realized she had entered Evan and his wife’s house.
Meanwhile, Goran called the woman and informed her about Ivan’s fate. Initially, the woman held Angel at knifepoint to prevent her escape, but a struggle ensued. Angel managed to fend her off using a piggy bank. Soon after, Goran arrived, but it was too late. Angel continued to run frantically, seeking refuge in a workshop. Goran pursued her, ordering all the workers to leave and lock the door. In a desperate move, Angel climbed into the furnace and started ascending the pipe. Goran, without much thought, followed her but became stuck at one point. Angel was almost free but decided to return. Goran pleaded for help, but instead, Angel silenced him and applied makeup with his blood, reminiscent of what the girls at the brothel used to do with shadows and lipstick. Finally, Angel escaped the workshop, exhausted.
She sought help at another random house, where a kind elderly woman noticed her. The woman took Angel into her home and called her husband for assistance. In the last frame, Dr. Anders is seen closing the door behind them, concluding the movie. Thank you for watching.
Be the first to comment