Non siamo soli

I wanted to see this as soon as I saw that Maika was in it because she is fast becoming my new favorite actress, particularly as she seems to be the go-to for good horror/thriller films, and she has not let me down yet. There are some minor issues with the movie itself; some pacing problems - this could have been a bit shorter overall, especially if the twist had come earlier, and once there, I loved the surprisingly humorous turn the story took, but I was left wanting just a few more shocks and surprises. The twist reminded me of the twist in Malignant, which I did not guess, and which then signaled utter craziness to come, so I was waiting for that to happen, but it was on a much lesser scale..still, this is enjoyable and unexpected, and best of all, it fooled me.

Interesting concept that is kept mysterious in previews, but quickly spoils the overall concept in the first 10 minutes (or suggests it loudly). Still, there is a mild edge as we try to understand what is happening. After things are clear on the plot, this turns into a mind game psychological thriller. But it lacks enough tension to be a thriller. Maika Moore and Jake Lacy play off each other well, making their couple in tension highly believable. But, the movie overall boils down to a very small point, and this was underwhelming for me. The movie is less mysterious when watching than what the previews suggest leaving a horror and thriller fan disappointed.

This was a survivalist type sci-fi that was well shot, directed and acted. All casting and performances were on point. The story had a few nice twists, but nothing revolutionary or jaw-dropping. It was well shot with great cinematography and a decent score. Even at a mere 84 min runtime and fairly decent pacing, it still felt longer due to the lack of any constant suspenseful narrative. It did have its moments of intrigue and suspense, but those were too few and far in between the basic camping survivalist theme. Nevertheless, it's a decent genre crossing film that's a decent one-time watch by a relatively newb co-writer and co-directing duo.

I won't overuse the term slow burn, but I will say the last 45 minutes are quite a surprise based on the first 45. Maika Monroe is very talented and Jake Lacy gives off Ben Affleck vibes in this short solid film. I am a sucker for films in this genre. I don't want to say what that genre is or name other films like it because I would have to mark this review as containing spoilers, but it makes for a film with some great twists.

It tries and somewhat succeeds on being a mediation about the meaning of love and if that sounds a little boring and cerebral, trust me, it isn't. In the second half you will laugh and gasp and probably be very glad you stuck with the story.

Nothing great, but pretty solid entertainment, that at the end of the day, feels like a setup for a bigger and better sequel. It may be praise enough to simply say, I hope I am right about the sequel.

I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews from critics calling it a "waste of time", and audience reviews of 3/5 stars. But remember, people tend to dislike things that are different. And this film is definitely different.

As a Shudder user, I see SO many 1 star reviews of films that I LOVE, saying that they're "boring" or "not horror movies" (it got so frustrating, I stopped reading them). I've come to the conclusion that the average mainstream-movie watching person only defines a "horror movie" as one with a monster/demon/ghost/psycho killer, 90 minutes of interchangeable jump scares (usually of the antagonist appearing BEHIND the characters where only the audience can see), and a high body count.

So brilliant films like Garland's Annihilation, Strickland's In Fabric, Benson & Moorhead's Resolution, or in this case, Olsen & Berk's Significant Other, get passed up because they aren't understood, and therefore raves about, by the casual movie-going, mainstream majority.

I loved this film because it had all of the criteria you'd hope for in the ever-evolving horror genre... tension, suspense, atmosphere, a fitting score, and even a twist you don't see coming. Just because there aren't gory kill scenes every 7-10 minutes by some grotesque creature does NOT disqualify a film from being classified as horror.

So if you truly appreciate horror as an artistic form of film art, something that can make you feel unease and suspense while making you think, then give this a shot and form your own opinion. Fans of horror films like Pontypool, Braid, Hereditary, Come True, or any of the aforementioned films will definitely love and appreciate this one.