In an era of live action adaptations and remakes, some viewers may consider this film’s originality a breath of fresh air. Ultimately, with another brilliant performance from Danielle Deadwyler and imaginative cinematography, The Woman in the Yard is not a bad film, but a passable yet disturbing one. 

The Woman in the Yard deals with difficult subject matters such as depression and suicide. Help is always available whenever needed with the 24 hour Crisis Lifeline available in English and Spanish. Call or Text 988 to speak with someone today.

The Woman in the Yard follows Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler), a recently widowed single mother who was left disabled after a car accident that killed her husband (Russell Hornsby). She is strict and very emotionally distant from her two children, Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and Annie (Estella Kahiha) due to survivor’s remorse and growing depression. One day, a mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili) appears in a chair on the family’s front yard, delivering an unsettling message that “today is the day.” What follows is said woman haunting the family and Ramona being forced to confront the reality of the situation and her mental state. 

Director Jaume Collett-Serra is no stranger to the horror or thriller genres, with previous films such as House of Wax (2005), Orphan (2009), The Shallows (2016), and Carry-On (2024) proving he can create a mixed bag of predictable yet entertaining films. Unfortunately, The Woman in the Yard leans more in the predictable aspect, and despite some excellent performances and cinematography that is unnecessarily spectacular for this type of film, the leaves may leave the audience frustrated and disturbed in the wrong ways. 

Starting off with the good, BAFTA nominee Danielle Deadwyler is truly remarkable here as the grief stricken Ramona. Deadwyler is no stranger to captivating audiences with the large amount of emotional depth and layered complexity she gives to each performance. One only has to watch what should have been Academy Award nominated performances in Till (2022) and The Piano Lesson (2024) to see that she is one of the best actors of her generation. Deadwyler is truly the heartbeat here and the much needed emotional core for the other actors. Okpokwasili is also a standout, with a very creepy presence as the titular woman in the yard. The child actors here, Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha, hold their own quite well. Jackson takes what should be, on paper, a cliche moody teenage boy and conveys a grieving big brother that is simultaneously worried and frustrated by his mother’s lack of accepting parental responsibilities. On the other hand, Kahiha is able to show such sadness and fear in her eyes at such a young age, it’s a wonder to watch. Hopefully, all of these actors continue to book work in projects that further help showcase their talents.

Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising aspect of The Woman in the Yard is the stunning cinematography from Pawel Pogorzelski. With previous works such as Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and Beau is Afraid (2023), Pogorzelski is no stranger to the horror genre and it shows. His use of shadows and lighting here is so creative and elevates a majority of the suspense that the script lacks. Some shots reminded me of something you would see in a Robert Eggers film (collaboration in the future?). There’s a scene where the woman invades the house and her shadow creeps up throughout the walls of the living room and are made more apparent by the sunset out the window. The lighting on each of the actors faces are also great. Everyone is visible and you can see all around their eyes, truly capturing the fear they are enduring.

On the contrary to the acting and the cinematography is script. Sam Stefanak’s writing here is not bad by any means. The premise is actually quite strong, as is the initial set up and execution of the first act. Unfortunately, the final third is very sloppily handled with many plot lines seemingly rushed or ignored, all leading to an ending that thinks it is saying something impactful, but in reality, is as shallow as a puddle. The film badly wants to be a commentary on mental health and there are some signs of doing just that. Having the woman in the yard represent Romona’s rapidly increasing suicidal thoughts is a great set up. Unfortunately, Stefanak doesn’t seem to be able to handle such a sensitive subject with care.

In the final 10 minutes, the woman causes Romana to hold a gun up to her head after convincing her that the children would be better off with their mother dead. You see Ramona completely broken and fighting with herself to simultaneously pull the trigger and put the gun down. Deadwyler, again, is a brilliant actress and gives a heartbreakingly committed performance, but showing this scene for as long as it is on screen with the little pay off at the end due to an ambiguous finale leads to an unnecessarily disturbing experience. On top of that, not having a trigger warning before the film is irresponsible, especially compared to something that was placed in front of Blink Twice just last year. Stefanak has the talent to create thrilling mysterious in the future. One can hope they are fully realized and handled in a sensitive manner.

Despite the atrocious flaws within the script, up and coming screenwriters and filmmakers should be given opportunities like this to display their talents on the big screen for a wide audience. In an era of live action adaptations and remakes, some viewers may consider this film’s originality a breath of fresh air. Ultimately, with another brilliant performance from Deadwyler and imaginative cinematography, The Woman in the Yard is not a bad film, but a passable yet disturbing one. 

Rating: C

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Where to Watch: On Demand