The Seeding

Usually, I try to look at the upsides to every movie I watch. I really tried to do the same for movie, but it just made it so incredibly hard to so do. I mean, who was the target audience for this movie? Horror fans aren't going to like it, it's not a drama and it certainly isn't a comedy, so whom exactly was this film meant to appease? No one is going to like this movie because there is nothing about it worth liking. Aside from the awesome cinematography and the performance of the lead male actor (a performance wasted on this embarrassment of a film), there is nothing else that is even remotely worth commending.

Even writing this review, I found myself growing increasingly agitated at having wasted almost 2 hours watching a film that ultimately made no sense, and really didn't enrich my life in the end. My goal in watching movies is to find something that inspires me, or at least helps me see things in new and interesting perspectives. All this movie managed to do was frustrate me and annoy me in equal measure, and I would not recommend anyone watch this movie, no matter how bored or devoid of content you seem to be. It is a meritless endeavor that will take more from you than it is willing to give, and I implore each of you considering watching this movie to read a book instead. You will find much more value in the written word than wasting you time with movies that do not respect it.

This movie gets 3 stars for the cinematography and the magnificent acting by the male lead.

As an aside, there is a novel I read a long time ago titled "Woman in the Dunes" by the author Kobo Abe. The gist of that novel is very similar to what happens in this movie. I'd consider reading that book instead of watching this movie. You will have a much better time. I promise.

As an art film lover, you will surely enjoy "The Seeding". It is slow-paced, as is typical of art films, but that is part of its charm. The leisurely pace allows each viewer to form their own interpretation of the enigmatic story.

The main character can be irritating, but that is probably because he is meant to be. The film sound is fantastic and creates an excellent atmosphere. What's bad is that I saw the end of the film, already in the middle of it. It is also a pity that the lives of those who live above pit are not shown. Overall, "The Seeding" is a solid one-time watch film, that will keep you thinking and interpreting long after the credits roll.

I almost didn't watch this, based on several reviews here. After watching, I could understand how the bleak story could divide viewers. Though depressing, I found myself immersed in the situation.

I love the desert, so the setting immediately sucked me in. Though mostly limited to a house in a hole, it made for a fairly dramatic set piece. I'll need to search out how this was achieved.

I was also drawn to the character of Alina. I was wondering why she was so quiet and calm, while the main guy was freaking out. She seemed both disconnected and alluring.

Technically, it was very competent. Good cinematography, wonderfully eerie music. Overall, the movie did a great job of making me believe that this place could exist.

Wyndham Stone (Scott Haze) gets lost in remote wilderness. He is rescued by a woman (Kate Lyn Sheil) living at the bottom of a canyon. He gets hurt trying to climb the canyon wall. Then he is harassed and trapped by a group of young people.

This reminds me very much of 70's Ozploitation. Quite frankly, I thought they may be Aussies trying not to do their accent. That has to be the motif that filmmaker Barnaby Clay was shooting for. It succeeds at that. The movie is off-putting in all that right ways. It has a tiny location. It is simplistic, crude, and basic. Don't look for more or complexity.

I immediately see the influence of the classic Japanese New Wave film "Women In The Dunes" from 1964, by Hiroshi Teshigahara, based on a book by the Existentialist Novelist Kobo Abe. Teshigahara would go on to adapt a number of Abe's books to film. It is available for free viewing at Archive.org. Some of the scenes are a scene for scene copy (or homage).

The cinematography in "The Seeding" is outstanding, with great wide angle shots, and pans of landscapes. The first scene shows the man's car parking on a desert road cul-de-sac. The overhead shot resembles a sperm cell, with the road being the tail. A symbolic reference to the title and things to come. Ken Russell did a similar shot in the 1969 film "Women in Love", in which a (probably drunk) Oliver Reed dies while walking in snow.

With my expectations elevated for a fantastic sublime film, I was disappointed by the unimaginative screenplay and the real let down of a sloppy and apathetic conclusion.

I would recommend the movie for the filmmaking alone, but it is frustrating to think it could have been better with a rewrite.

The acting is well done, though I would have had the women have a stranger demeanor, considering she has not seen the outside world.

The plot leaves too many questions, and many simple questions are not even brought up by the Man. The writer didn't convey a plausible lead character. In the end, the project is essentially scrapped. The difficult issues are not brought into the screenplay which is disappointing.

As a "Horror" film it has some of the gore, but the film doesn't entirely embrace the genre. In the end the film simply misses the target. This due to the fact that the filmmakers were not sure of what they were aiming for in the first place.