The Occupant

The Good The performance of the actors and the chosen locations were very acceptable

The Bad Dialogue moved from bland to dull

The Ugly The script and story held a lot of potential which was either abandoned or ignored. Then the major plot holes that were never addressed so you never were sure if a plot hole was an abandoned plot point or not. A major point was the distance that the MC travels was both inconsistent and impossible to cover in the time given.

This film had a decent foundation as well as its concept, but The Occupant falls for the oldest trick in the book when it comes to a science fiction film and that's when they relegate it for filler near the end. Instead its a survival story with a character facing a predicament both physically and figuratively.

Survival stories are usually exciting because you watch a character struggle and dig down deep to survive precarious oppositions and get back to civilization in one piece.

Our lead actress Ella Balinska does try her hardest but her character isn't very interesting on the page, other than the usual guilt riding characteristic. It is also quite slow paced and for a film clocking in at about 100 minutes, it means it could easily have been trimmed in the editing department.

It is however a beautifully shot film from Dutch director Hugo Keijzer, The musical score from Renger Koning is pretty solid as it adds to the film's overall vibe. When you finally get to the pinch of sci-fi this movie holds in the third act, it is enjoyable but too little too late.

Was really hoping for a much better and stronger film, but sometimes you get shortcomings.

Where to start?

Was looking forward to this.

Sci-fi vs reality.

Human difficulty vs death

No spoilers, this is a movie of three parts and they just fail to join up.

Lots of open ends, with no answers.

Full of promise and yet delivers less and less as time goes on.

I was hoping the end would be transindetal or sci-fi laden, no such luck.

Without knowing a single thing about the movie, as I stumbled upon it by random chance, I still opted to watch it and check what director Hugo Keijzer had to offer.

Writers Philip Michael Howe, Hugo Keijzer, Roelof Jan Minneboo and Xiao Tang put together an okay enough script. However, the narrative does struggle a bit with the pacing. Now, there was a lot of potential to "The Occupant", but ultimately the writers didn't fully deliver on that potential.

I literally wasn't familiar with a single actress or actor on the cast list. But that was actually something that spoke in favor of the overall impression of the movie, as I do enjoy watching unfamiliar and new talents on the screen.

The movie does have a lot of nice visual shots, which definitely helped establish the atmosphere and mood of the movie.

"The Occupant" certainly is a watchable movie, but hardly one that I would recommend you to rush out and get to watch. Nor is it a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Hugo Keijzer's 2025 movie "The Occupant" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.

Hugo Keijzer offers us an interesting film that focuses on intrigue with science fiction overtones that immerses us in a personal reflection on letting go.

Starring Ella Balinska as Abby, a guilt-ridden geologist and engineer in transit from her remote mission, she survives a mysterious helicopter crash and must try to escape the harsh environment. But she's not alone . The film is a slow-burning thriller that takes its time between metaphors and science fiction to give us a well-crafted film that manages to hold our attention thanks to its perfect photography by Robbie van Brussel and its locations, in addition to the good work of its protagonist who completely surrenders to the drama her character is going through.

Its director is clever at blending the various genres at his disposal. While the film isn't verbose and has its lesser moments, it manages to deliver a story that captures our attention and makes us understand the final reflection proposed by its script, with an emotional final stretch. The great strength of the film's proposal is the multiple reflective layers with which the film weaves together this slow-burning story, while still keeping you attentive to everything happening on screen.

A rather interesting international effort that manages to deliver some good moments in a film worth giving a try. Well directed, well acted, and with a story that remains interesting, despite its simplicity. This thought-provoking journey and a harrowing premise make for a well-crafted survival thriller.