Mercy Falls...a thrilling trek of terror.
BAFTA nominated director Ryan Hendrick directs this survival horror/thriller that delivers fear to all viewers through its edge-of-the-seat anxiety.
A brief yet insightful insight into the film...a group of friends venture into a Scottish forest in search of a cabin. During this adventure the group gain an extra addition to their troupe...but, will this be an advantage or...a terrible mistake..?
As I begun to watch this film I felt the unique British film feel, a feeling I could compare to the likes of Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall, 2002) or Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2012).
The location chosen for this film was perfect..it was a setting that didn't feel overtly in your face Scottish whilst also actually showing a side of the UK that holds the perfect natural beauty..coincidently a perfect place for a survival horror/thriller!
You can see and feel the notable performances of Rhona (Lauren Lyle - Outlander) and Carla (Nicolette McKeown - Lost at Christmas). Both these characters give a brave and fierce performance that stands tall above all. Lauren Lyle gives the role her all and made me feel her characters pain due to the pure performance she gives. On the other hand Nicolette McKeown's performance as Carla created a feeling of strong dislike, which ultimately fulfils the target that she went for with her acting. Both actresses show the essences of what it means to star in a film and go forth to create these powerful characters.
Moreover, the narrative structure felt natural and the series of events ultimately felt like it had a good flow from start to finish. Alongside this narrative structure the technicalities with the cinematography shines through. The cinematographies movement feels like I, the audience, is there. There's a handheld feel and this feeling adds a voyeuristic feel to it too; we're watching the events unfold whilst sitting anxiously waiting for some fearful event to occur.
Like any film criticism, there are elements I felt were weak.
I felt some of the performance had a wooden feel and left me feeling annoyed by some characters. Like, would I act like that in a situation like theirs? Would I, one minute, be crying then the next absolutely fine? It felt too forced and incoherent.
Narratively, as mentioned above, the timeline of events was well written and well constructed, but the scripting felt off in some places. It sometimes felt forced and unnatural with interactions.
Carla's backstory was something I felt the film could have explored further; I wanted to see more of how her previous experiences (seen in flashbacks) affected her and ultimately, how this series of events fully unfolded. This is something I felt had a really powerful meaning, but the film falls short by not venturing into that backstory.
Overall, this film fills the appetite for a anxiety filled thriller that follows similar routes that other survival thrillers have taken in the past.
This is worth the watch.
BAFTA nominated director Ryan Hendrick directs this survival horror/thriller that delivers fear to all viewers through its edge-of-the-seat anxiety.
A brief yet insightful insight into the film...a group of friends venture into a Scottish forest in search of a cabin. During this adventure the group gain an extra addition to their troupe...but, will this be an advantage or...a terrible mistake..?
As I begun to watch this film I felt the unique British film feel, a feeling I could compare to the likes of Dog Soldiers (Neil Marshall, 2002) or Sightseers (Ben Wheatley, 2012).
The location chosen for this film was perfect..it was a setting that didn't feel overtly in your face Scottish whilst also actually showing a side of the UK that holds the perfect natural beauty..coincidently a perfect place for a survival horror/thriller!
You can see and feel the notable performances of Rhona (Lauren Lyle - Outlander) and Carla (Nicolette McKeown - Lost at Christmas). Both these characters give a brave and fierce performance that stands tall above all. Lauren Lyle gives the role her all and made me feel her characters pain due to the pure performance she gives. On the other hand Nicolette McKeown's performance as Carla created a feeling of strong dislike, which ultimately fulfils the target that she went for with her acting. Both actresses show the essences of what it means to star in a film and go forth to create these powerful characters.
Moreover, the narrative structure felt natural and the series of events ultimately felt like it had a good flow from start to finish. Alongside this narrative structure the technicalities with the cinematography shines through. The cinematographies movement feels like I, the audience, is there. There's a handheld feel and this feeling adds a voyeuristic feel to it too; we're watching the events unfold whilst sitting anxiously waiting for some fearful event to occur.
Like any film criticism, there are elements I felt were weak.
I felt some of the performance had a wooden feel and left me feeling annoyed by some characters. Like, would I act like that in a situation like theirs? Would I, one minute, be crying then the next absolutely fine? It felt too forced and incoherent.
Narratively, as mentioned above, the timeline of events was well written and well constructed, but the scripting felt off in some places. It sometimes felt forced and unnatural with interactions.
Carla's backstory was something I felt the film could have explored further; I wanted to see more of how her previous experiences (seen in flashbacks) affected her and ultimately, how this series of events fully unfolded. This is something I felt had a really powerful meaning, but the film falls short by not venturing into that backstory.
Overall, this film fills the appetite for a anxiety filled thriller that follows similar routes that other survival thrillers have taken in the past.
This is worth the watch.