[yasr_overall_rating]
Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son, but this will soon be put to test when a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge.
I am very wary when a film comes along that claims to be the year’s scariest movie. And we are only in June. I have to admit though, the trailer for “It Comes at Night” was compelling, to say the very least, but having now watched the film, I can only walk away from it scratching my head, wondering what exactly it was all about. First and foremost, this is not a monster movie, there are no witches, aliens, demons, creatures, only humans, and it is the humans that are very much the monster. It is what we are capable of doing, both the good and the bad but being a psychological thriller, it’s going to be easy to surmise which of those traits will be focused on the most.
The story is set in a dystopian future where a mysterious virus has killed off much of society. Paul (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), live deep in the woods, far away from anybody and everything. As the movie begins, we witness Travis’ grandfather Bud (David Pendleton), in the final stages of the deadly disease. His body is ravished with sores and blisters and his breathing is extremely limited. Paul, Sarah, and Travis are all wearing gas masks, so as not to become infected, and they move Bud out into the forest in a wheelbarrow. They reach an open grave and to help put Bud out of his misery, before succumbing to a horrible and painful death, Paul covers his face with a pillow and then shoots him. After burning the body and covering it up, they all head back inside before nightfall.
Both Sarah and Travis have a hard time trying to deal with the fact that Bud is no longer with them but later that night, Travis is awoken by a strange noise. He makes his way downstairs to the only way in and out of the house, a large red door but when he hears noises coming from the other side, he runs upstairs and wakes his father. They both make their way back downstairs, Paul carrying his rifle, and after he unlocks the door, he finds Will (Christopher Abbott), inside holding a shotgun. He manages to get the upper hand and knocks Will unconscious. He ties him up and leaves him roped to a tree overnight, to make sure he is not sick and the next morning, Paul asks him what he was doing in their house. He tells him that he didn’t know it was occupied as it was all boarded up and that he was looking for water and supplies for his wife and young son. He tells Paul that if he gives him some water, he will bring them food, as he has chickens and goats.
After discussing it with Sarah, he agrees to help him and both men hit the road. A few days later, they return, with Will’s wife Kim (Riley Keough) and young son in tow. They set up the house so that both families have their own space and privacy and for a while, things are good. They learn from each other and help each other but then Travis starts to experience strange visions and struggles with trying to distinguish real life from the hallucinations in his head. As his perception of reality becomes more and more distorted, trust between the families becomes strained and when Travis is convinced that Will’s young son is sick and could contaminate the rest of the house, and everyone in it, Paul must make a life or death decision, if his family is to survive.
“It Comes at Night” is impeccably shot and superbly acted, with some scenes being downright chilling, but in the end, director Trey Edward Shults raises more questions than he does answers. When an entire film focuses on one person and their grasp on reality, by the end of the movie, the questions you have presented to your audience throughout the story, need to be answered when the final credits roll. They don’t have to be in large block letters but don’t leave your audience hanging and expect them to resolve your interpretation of the story, you’re the storyteller, so tell your story. I so badly wanted to like this film, Joel Edgerton is a rising star and director that I have admired for some time now and had the opportunity to interview a few years back but even his performance alone is not enough to save this movie. One other problem I foresee is that this is being marketed as a straight-up horror film, it isn’t. I am not trying to dissuade you from seeing it, there are many out there who are praising it and that’s fine, we can only give our own interpretation, but if you go into it expecting “The Blair Witch Project” or any other type of creature feature, you will walk away very disappointed.
In theaters Friday, June 9th
