The Occupant

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.

Abby (Ella Balinska) is a British Geologist who has been working around the world for months in a row. She desperately needs the money to pay for her dying sister's (Vanessa Ifediora) medical treatment. But now, when she's finally on her way home, her helicopter crashes, killing the pilot. Abby finds herself stranded and alone in an icy wilderness, where a mysterious helper may or may not be her salvation.

This starts off a little like "Long Distance" where 2 astronauts crash land on an alien planet are trying to meet each other using just radio chatter.

It's also reminiscent of "Keep Breathing" where a woman has to survive after a plane crash in a mountain region.

However it is nowhere near as good as either film. Balinska puts in a fine performance in terms of acting. But the film has no point and no flow and the story is mired in obscure dreams and flashbacks. I did try hard to follow it but I stopped short of googling to make sense of it. If a film can't tell you a story in the screenplay, it's not a very good film anyway.

I rated it a 4 and that was solely for Balinskas acting.

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.

I went into The Occupant (2025) completely blind - no trailer, no synopsis, no expectations. Unfortunately, it didn't matter. What followed was a dull, lifeless experience. The film clearly wants to be clever and cerebral, but instead it's painfully slow, uneventful, and lacking in any real tension or payoff.

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.