What’s it rated? R
When? 2022
Where’s it showing? Paramount Plus
Co-writers/directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains, The Stakelander) helm this sci-fi mystery thriller that begins as a pretty standard alien body-snatcher flick before it flies off the rails in a most delightful and ridiculous way. Its absurdity becomes its greatest strength and the source of a few shock-induced laughs.
After opening with a “red star” landing in a forest and a weird black tentacle-like alien entering a deer, the film follows young couple Ruth (Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacy), who, despite Ruth’s anxiety, head into the very same woods for a backpacking trip. She’s brave surfing in shark-infested waters, but there’s something about the forest that triggers Ruth’s delicate mental condition. She loves Harry, so she fights her fear and goes.
Will she encounter an odd deer that stares weirdly at her? It wouldn’t be much of a story without that. The film goes on to explore how love manifests itself in the human mind—an experience apparently unknown to the alien life form. It also examines memory and childhood trauma. It’s a weird little film that you might just hate, but I loved its twists and turns, and its Pacific Northwest scenery is grand. (84 min.) Δ
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 6, 2022.