Impressive folksy horror with closed room elements
I went into this film expecting the usual "3* maximum" rubbish that Amazon & Netflix keep pumping out, but I was very pleasantly surprised!
It's DEFINITELY a slow burn, which can at times feel a bit too drawn out, but ultimately the pacing seems to reflect the protagonist's predicament- he's trapped in a bothy, in reality it wouldn't be overly exciting!
The bulk of the film is carried by one character's storytelling. The narrative comes across to me as a proud celebration of Scottish heritage and social culture (bothy culture in particular) through history. It feels companionable but is tinged with unease, which builds towards the end.
The acting can be a little stilted at times (too long pauses, slightly stumbling over a line, lacking urgency or confusion in scenes where it would be needed...) but overall it feels believable for a stoic character.
The gore effects are pretty bad I'm afraid, it looks like bubble gum was used to stand in for flesh! But it's not a big deal as it only plays a very small part in the film.
There are some distracting details, such as the protagonist's fly being weirdly open in the first few scenes, a knife coming clean out of a bloody wound, occasionally wobbly camerawork and one of the main cameras in particular seemingly having a very dusty lense. However, there are also some really beautiful, atmospheric shots which highlight the wildness of the setting, the vastness of nature and vulnerability of the protagonist.
The ending is on the predictable side but still managed to throw in a twist that took me by surprise (normally I'm pretty good at figuring them out!)
I don't want to spoil anything but will say that one of the final scenes is pretty horrific! Definitely one of the most obviously "horror" aspects of the film.
It's left open to interpretation, which I would normally call lazy storytelling (it's so overused) but in this case it works really well, there are plenty of threads in the plot for you to follow to your own conclusion and it keeps you thinking about the film after it has ended.
One thing I wish had been delved into more was WHY did things happen the way they did - no particular reasoning seemed to be given from what I could tell so I was left feeling a bit confused on that front.
It's DEFINITELY a slow burn, which can at times feel a bit too drawn out, but ultimately the pacing seems to reflect the protagonist's predicament- he's trapped in a bothy, in reality it wouldn't be overly exciting!
The bulk of the film is carried by one character's storytelling. The narrative comes across to me as a proud celebration of Scottish heritage and social culture (bothy culture in particular) through history. It feels companionable but is tinged with unease, which builds towards the end.
The acting can be a little stilted at times (too long pauses, slightly stumbling over a line, lacking urgency or confusion in scenes where it would be needed...) but overall it feels believable for a stoic character.
The gore effects are pretty bad I'm afraid, it looks like bubble gum was used to stand in for flesh! But it's not a big deal as it only plays a very small part in the film.
There are some distracting details, such as the protagonist's fly being weirdly open in the first few scenes, a knife coming clean out of a bloody wound, occasionally wobbly camerawork and one of the main cameras in particular seemingly having a very dusty lense. However, there are also some really beautiful, atmospheric shots which highlight the wildness of the setting, the vastness of nature and vulnerability of the protagonist.
The ending is on the predictable side but still managed to throw in a twist that took me by surprise (normally I'm pretty good at figuring them out!)
I don't want to spoil anything but will say that one of the final scenes is pretty horrific! Definitely one of the most obviously "horror" aspects of the film.
It's left open to interpretation, which I would normally call lazy storytelling (it's so overused) but in this case it works really well, there are plenty of threads in the plot for you to follow to your own conclusion and it keeps you thinking about the film after it has ended.
One thing I wish had been delved into more was WHY did things happen the way they did - no particular reasoning seemed to be given from what I could tell so I was left feeling a bit confused on that front.
- amydelaney-56969
- Jan 19, 2024