When COVID-19 happened, I think many of us had the same thought at some point: what if this became our new normal? What if life was supposed to be like this, staying at home, quarantined, constantly worried about catching the virus, fearing for our loved ones? It was a terrible time, and many lost so much. The film Lazareth revolves around this idea as it follows Aunt Lee and her two nieces, Maeve and Imogen, who have lived with her ever since their mother died from the virus. After the tragic outbreak of the virus, many people lost their lives, and then, ten years passed, and they still lived in isolation in the house called Lazareth, which was deep in the jungle outside of town. They believe the virus might still be out there, so they haven’t interacted with anyone in a decade as they fear of being contaminated. But everything changes when a boy named Owen seeks shelter in their home. After spending so long cut off from the world and living in fear of the virus, how will they adjust to this new arrival? Let’s find out.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Owen decide to stay at Lazareth?
The movie Lazareth starts in the house it’s named after, which, at first glance, almost looks like a cult. But Lazareth wasn’t just any house as it was built to protect Aunt Lee and her two nieces, Meave and Imogen, from the outside world, especially the virus. The house had strict rules, and if you broke them, there were consequences. But the most important rule of all was that Lazareth, being in the jungle on the outskirts of town, was a safe zone, and Aunt Lee had drawn a clear boundary to make sure the two girls wouldn’t allow themselves or their sanctuary to be contaminated by the virus, because she made then believe that their lives were at risk. The three of them had lived this way for ten years, ever since the virus broke out. Naturally, after losing their mother to the virus, Maeve and Imogen were terrified of losing Aunt Lee too. After all, she had taken care of them all these years, and they trusted her rules without question, as they knew she was their protector, and thus the girls never dared to disobey her, because they believed she was shielding them from danger. So, ten years later, we see the three of them still wearing masks, using sanitizer, and living in fear of the virus, as if nothing had changed.
Every day, Aunt Lee would head into town to “burn the houses down,” because she said they were contaminated and many people had died, and she would return in her “savior” uniform, and the girls would bathe her in sanitizer and listen to her heroic tales about how she saved lives. But in reality, we all know that, after all those years, the virus had long stopped spreading and it was all a pretense. Aunt Lee wasn’t saving the girls from the virus anymore; she was scared of losing control over them and feared being left alone, as she may have thought that if they ever realized the truth and wanted to live freely, Aunt Lee could not afford that, so living this lie had become their new normal. The girls were unaware of the truth and lived in Lazareth like they were in a dystopia. Their clothes were old, and they didn’t know much about the outside world as they did not have any form of communication like TV, radio, or phones with them. Their days were filled with house chores to protect their sacred home, Lazareth. But one day, while Aunt Lee was in town, the girls wandered into the jungle, and that’s when they saw a boy, covered in tattoos, staying in a tent with a severe wound on his stomach.
Meave and Imogen were terrified at first, as they hadn’t had contact with anyone in years, let alone someone without a mask or sanitizer, so they were too scared to help him. But Lazareth had also taught them kindness, plus, the boy’s handsome face was enough to convince them that they had to help him. Despite knowing Aunt Lee would be furious, they took the risk and dragged his nearly unconscious body, bleeding heavily, back to their house to tend to his wounds. Aunt Lee, however, had seen everything during her night stroll, she realized that the girls had brought a boy into Lazareth. Her fear kicked in, and it was not just fear of contamination, but fear that the girls might fall in love with him, or worse, discover that the world outside wasn’t so dangerous anymore. She couldn’t afford to lose control over them, so she convinced the girls that Lazareth was now contaminated, and they had to get rid of the boy. But for the first time, the girls fought back and they made a firm decision that they wanted to treat the boy and wouldn’t send him away. As they cared for him, it became clear that Imogen had changed. She started waking up and putting on blush to try to look pretty in front of the boy, in the hope of catching his attention. Meave noticed how close Imogen and the boy were growing, and it made her feel insecure, envious even. So to sabotage their relationship, Maeve started doing strange things, like bringing dead chickens into the house, sometimes even killing them herself, to show that the boy was the reason for contamination and their death and she wanted to convince everyone that Imogen and the boy being together was a danger. So naturally, there was a huge shift in the dynamics between the three after the boy’s arrival. But eventually, Aunt Lee had no choice but to accept him. She sat him down and explained that Lazareth was the girls’ sanctuary and needed to be protected.
The boy, named Owen, realized by now that the girls didn’t know the outside world was safe. But he also needed shelter, food, and protection, so he stayed quiet. Owen had lost his parents to the virus too, and had been surviving with a biker gang by doing criminal activities. His wound came from one of those dangerous encounters, and he knew the gang would be coming after him soon. And you know what, Owen wasn’t wrong, as one morning, the biker gang showed up to hunt him down and loot the house. Fortunately, the three of them were experts at hiding after living in fear for so long and managed to escape. The bikers stole half of their belongings, including Meave’s favorite dancing doll, but there was a bigger issue for the girl as the intruders, who entered without masks and no proper sanitation, had contaminated Lazareth. So the girls got busy sanitizing everything again, and surprisingly, Owen helped too. Aunt Lee was impressed seeing this, and as a reward for his cooperation, he earned a seat at their table as Owen had played his part well. He even promised Imogen that he could help fix Aunt Lee’s truck, which she used for her sanitization rounds in town.
What happened to Aunt Lee?
When Imogen and Owen became romantically involved, Maeve knew she needed to keep herself busy. So, she asked Aunt Lee if she could go into town and help her with “burning the village” to save lives. Aunt Lee was tired of keeping up the act, so she agreed and let her come along. When Maeve arrived in the city, she was shocked. The bright lights, tall buildings, traffic signals, and fast-moving trains were nothing like the world she had been living in. She saw people walking around without masks, without fear, and realized that the village Aunt Lee had warned them about didn’t even exist anymore. The town had modernized long ago, and Maeve suddenly understood that Aunt Lee had been lying to her too. But while in town, she spotted the biker gang that had attacked Owen, and in a fit of rage, she took back her favorite doll from them, something she loved as that was the only thing in her life then that was truly hers. When she confronted Aunt Lee, the truth finally came out as Aunt Lee confessed that she had lied to protect the girls, as she couldn’t abandon them as their mother had, and Lee did what she thought was best to keep them safe from the virus, which she feared could return and destroy their lives, and Aunt Lee wasn’t ready to take that risk. Maeve believed her, as she thought that maybe Aunt Lee was only trying to look out for them in her own way. So, when they returned home, Maeve decided to play along with the lie as she acted as if the outside world was still dangerous, to tell Imogen and Owen that everything was terrible out there and that they were safer in Lazareth. But their safety didn’t last long, as the biker gang returned, and this time to attack Aunt Lee. She knew that, after her death, the girls might need a man to protect them, like Owen. So Aunt Lee fought back against the gang, and in the end, she sacrificed herself to save Maeve, Imogen, and Owen, after killing the gang leader before she died.
And if you think the cycle of lies would break after Aunt Lee’s death, you’re wrong. At the end of the movie, we see a pregnant Imogen taking care of the house, looking after Owen and Maeve, who are still there to “protect her”. Maeve, after returning from the village where she claimed to have “saved lives” like Aunt Lee used to, told Imogen that the town was still in terrible condition and too dangerous to visit. In a way, just like Aunt Lee, Maeve wanted to dominate them, to have control over them so she wouldn’t feel lonely or isolated. Will Imogen ever find out the truth? Who knows. Maybe after her child is born, she might go to town to educate her child and discover the truth. Or maybe Owen and Maeve will continue with the lies to protect themselves and keep control over their small world. Perhaps this cycle of lies will keep Imogen blind, making her believe everything just like Aunt Lee made them believe for so many years. Or maybe Imogen already knows the truth but chooses to play along because she’s too comfortable in this world of lies and doesn’t want to face the reality of changing it. One thing was clear—Maeve had become Aunt Lee, reincarnated, and the cycle of control and lies was bound to continue, which was honestly terrifying.
