The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: INTO THE FOREST

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on INTO THE FOREST (2016, 101 minutes, R)

The Quick of It -

INTO THE FOREST is not your typical post apocalyptic film.  It's about two sisters who must survive in their remote, woodland home after a massive power outage.  This takes place in the near future when the U.S. has become highly dependent on electricity, thus the event shuts everything down... everything.  The story opens with the onset of the outage, and briefly sets us up with the locals quickly descending into lawlessness.  But this movie is far more than it seems.

The screenplay is based on the book written by Jean Hegland.  Director Patricia Rozema (of MANSLIELD PARK and WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING) brings this adaptation to the silver screen and does so with a raw elegance.  Instead of a thrilling MAD MAX or a overly-depressing THE ROAD, you get something a little closer to the heart and a sense of realism that keeps you engaged.  And with my being of the male persuasion, and this story told from a female's perspective with such depth, I am given a special treat beyond the norm. 

 

The father is played by Callum Keith Rennie (of “Californication”, “Battlestar Galactica”, and MEMENTO).  He meets an untimely end, happening in the most unexpected way.  This is the true beginning to his daughters’ survival mode and we begin to wait for everything to be pulled out from underneath them.  It doesn't really come, and that's not a bad thing.  Don't get me wrong, horrible things happen as you would expect (and slightly predict), but it isn't at the cost of throwing the pacing off with wild circumstances or a guitarist strapped to the front of a wrecker.  Everything that happens feels grounded and only focuses on the relationships being forged and tested.  Much of this story is told through emotion rather than dialogue.  That has to be one of the greatest achievements I can think of for a director.

 

The two lead actors are Ellen Page (of INCEPTION, JUNO, and X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST) and Evan Rachel Wood (of THE WRESTLER, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, and THE IDES OF MARCH).  They do a fantastic job verbally, physically, and emotionally.  Without their outstanding performances, the illusion of isolation and sisterhood would have been broken, leaving you with a fumbling about drama.  Instead, you are pulled into their lives and suffer through their experiences as they learn to adapt to the new world.
 

INTO THE FOREST offers a new slant to the post apocalyptic genre.  You find it in the woodland setting and camera shots highlighting this sense of lonesomeness.  To pull things together, there is one particular inclusion in the story that becomes essential to the undertone - ballet.   It feels that there is attention given to each significant frame, the accompanying soundtrack during their struggles, and the content that fills the story.  The result is a visual ballet that tells a unique tale, something not to be missed. 

Grade: B+