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“Do not trust the unpredictable wild child” should be considered as important as “abstain from sex” and “ignore late-night phone calls” when it comes to life advice in horror movies. This is where hiker Wyndham (played by Scott Haze) makes a mistake in this blend of horror and thriller genres, while out in the wilderness to photograph an eclipse. He is enticed away from his car by Orion (played by Charlie Avink), who claims his parents have disappeared. As a result, Wyndham gets lost and seeks shelter in a tin shack at the bottom of a canyon. Inside, he meets Alina (played by Kate Lyn Sheil), a mysterious young woman who offers him soup with questionable origins.
The following day, Alina is surprisingly unfazed when the ladder that led them to the top is no longer there. They are both being held captive by a group of deranged young people who reside in an area known as “the palace” above them. These individuals deliberately urinate on Wyndham’s efforts to climb the sandstone cliff. With no other options, he and Alina become an unconventional couple, with her marking the passing of time on her bedroom wall using her menstrual blood. However, their situation does not last long as Alina becomes pregnant and tries to persuade Wyndham to accept their circumstances. Despite her efforts, Wyndham once again rebels against their predicament.
Although it may be hard to believe that Wyndham would quickly lose its strength, the movie benefits from the first-time director Barnaby Clay’s aim to captivate us with his masterfully detailed Southern, religious setting. Each section is enhanced with titles like “Sturgeon Moon” and begins with a picture of decaying food. Clay also pays special attention to mundane objects such as wind chimes made from teaspoons and intense, chaotic scenes set to the soundtrack by Tristan Bechet. The main character is not fully developed, but he effortlessly moves towards his fate in a chaotic mix of influences from “Mad Max,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” and “Mandy.” However, Haze’s performance is excellent, displaying a range of emotions through his actions, tears, and bared teeth, adding an abundance of raw emotion to his character’s time in prison.
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Source: theguardian.com
