The Wind (II) (2018) User Reviews

Beautifully shot and oppressive, but falters in the final act

[drownsoda90 · 6/10 · 8 January 2020]

"The Wind" follows a young woman and her husband who attempt to make a settlement in New Mexico in the late 19th century. They are the only people on the plain until another young couple arrives and moves into an adjacent derelict cabin. Both women share a common experience: There seems to be something living in the surrounding land that is trying to destroy them.

First off, I am a major fan of Western horror films, and frankly believe there are not enough of them--this period in U.S. history is ripe for horror movies, but it doesn't seem to be mined nearly as much as it could--so from that alone, I was thrilled at the concept of this film.

Director Emma Tammi really nails it here in terms of mood and atmosphere; the film is impeccably dressed, beautifully shot, and evokes a consistent dread that seems to close in on the protagonist. The narrative is told in a fragmented, non chronological manner, which might frustrate some, but it allows for a few clever juxtapositions and plot developments that wouldn't be possible otherwise, so it serves a purpose. Caitlin Gerard delivers a great performance here as pioneer woman Lizzy, the tormented lead. Hers eclipses the other performances from the small cast, and Julia Goldani Telles, though decent, seems miscast here. There are a few minor inconsistencies here in terms of the characters' appearances, as they all look far too primped and pressed for pioneers living in brutal conditions--but that aside, the period is well-represented.

The final act is where the film's screenplay starts to show its cracks. The explanation behind the events, albeit ultimately vague, is not entirely satisfying--it feels in some ways arbitrary, and the mythos is not fleshed out enough for the audience to ultimately care; it feels like a tacked-on afterthought that has little to support it. Despite this, though, I still found the film entertaining and at times thrilling. As far as Western horrors go, "The Wind" is a fine (albeit flawed) entry. 6/10.

A Better Ending Would Have Made This Truly Great

[zkonedog · 6/10 · 11 April 2019]

When I first saw a trailer for "The Wind", I was intrigued by the mix of the western and horror genres. While that mixture does indeed produce a tense, foreboding atmosphere where a great story is set up, the final act really lets all the air out of the balloon by providing an ending that is disappointing no matter which way one looks at it.

For a basic plot summary, "The Wind" tells the story of Lizzy Maclin (Caitlin Gerard), who lives with husband Isaac (Ashley Zukerman) on the untamed western U.S. prairie of the late 1800s. Their only neighbors for miles are Emma (Julia Goldani Telles) and Gideon (Dylan McTee), and the two couples form a sort of uneasy truce with each other: they both "want their space" but at the same time are comforted that they are not completely alone. When both women begin to experience strange haunting-like scenarios (and blame demonic possession) and then a pregnancy-issue scenario accelerates the timetable, the isolated and windy open prairie may be as much to blame as anything else. Who knows what may reside in its theretofor uncharted depths.

All the setup and atmosphere in "The Wind" is actually very strong. It takes a non-linear approach to time (which really sucks the viewer into the proceedings) and despite being only about 90 minutes still manages to take its time and develop the characters. It is creepy in spots, thoughtful in others, and really sets up a scenario in which most viewers will be genuinely curious about how it will all shake out.

Only helping matters is Gerard, who pretty much steals the show here. If she is still a relative unknown now, that could change based on a performance like this. She is integral to nearly every scene and is the character viewers really empathize with. If "The Wind" would have been better overall, this could have been an award-winning acting job.

Unfortunately, the ending of this film is an enormous letdown. I don't mind the ambiguity of interpretation one bit (is it actually a demon or Lizzy's mind playing tricks on her?), but the cardinal sin here is that only one side of that coin is presented all along (i.e. the supposed "twist" doesn't work). The entire film, we are treated to a story in which it seems pretty straightforward what is happening (or at least could be happening). Then, the filmmakers pull a bait-and-switch by interjecting this "maybe she is just lonely/crazy" supposition right under the wire. Had this been a theme throughout it may have worked, but as it was it just felt like a way to end the flick when the writers didn't have a great plan to do so.

Thus, as much as I enjoyed the buildup, atmosphere, and acting in "The Wind", a better ending cold have upped my rating as much as two whole stars, I believe. Sadly, this ending feels tacked-on rather then anything really well thought-out. A missed opportunity, for sure.

In the vein of 'The Witch'.

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 15 March 2020]

Due to its non-linear storytelling, 'The Wind' can be a very difficult movie to follow. The film simultaneously plays in three different times. If you can wrap your head around these different times, it is easy to follow and it becomes very clear which period you're looking at.

'The Wind' grabbed me from the mysterious opening scene, and then became spine chillingly creepy and suspenseful. In the vein of 'The Witch' (especially) and 'Hereditary', this film is much deeper than meets the eye, and rather disturbing. The film takes us on a roller coaster ride of fear, deception, infidelity, and absolute evil.

Caitlin Gerard is very good as Lizzy, the film's heroin. Director Emma Tammi did an incredible job ensuring a constant foreboding atmosphere. (Interestingly enough, there's hardly any wind in the film...)

Far too muddled for its own good. The time-lines are a mess.

[fedor8 · 7 December 2019]

A depressing horror drama that is slow, confusing and leaves way too many unknowns in its flimsy equation.

The slow pace isn't much of an issue because the direction is moody and stylish enough to justify it. The real issue here for half the scenes is the uniquely muddled time-lines. I have never come across a movie that so often refuses to share with us WHEN something is happening. We have three basic time-settings: during Lizzy's pregnancy, during Emma's stay, and after Emma's murder - in that chronological order. That is a lot to mesh together, even when you allow the audiences to understand which is which, let alone when you don't. The plot hops and jumps freely and constantly from one to the other without taking the audiences into consideration. We are meant to guess half the time which scene belongs to which period. It becomes exasperating. I want to follow the PLOT and the characters, not have to guess the times.

So should movies be guessing games? Isn't that what mysteries are all about? Well... no, of course not. There ARE basic rules to story-telling that one needs to abide by, even in mysteries, otherwise the story isn't mysterious - it's incoherent: huge difference. A whole bunch of reviews mention this time confusion, so clearly the movie has failed in its "experimentation" with time. Unless annoying most people was the intentional aim here.

What's next? Will they soon add masks to the main characters so we can't even distinguish them from each other? Why not just delete the audio track too so we are forced to lip-read? Hell, turn the entire movie into a confusing puzzle-mess!

The time shifts double the already growing confusion regarding what is happening. The film opens with a very confusing sequence that it takes ages for us to decipher. Is Lizzy insane? Are both women insane? If both are insane, wouldn't that imply a demonic presence that is polluting their minds - as Lizzy claims? If there are demons, why do they so conveniently circumvent Isaac? Is it because he is mentally too strong for the demons to usurp? (Emma at one point says that Lizzy and Isaac are tougher than she and her husband Gideon.) Why is Isaac constantly absent? Where the hell can he go? Shouldn't he be working on his farm? How the hell did he manage to cheat on his wife with only four people co-existing on a large field? When Isaac visited Emma for the ol' in-out, where was Gideon? Did they arrange their clandestine meetings via mobile phones?

Is the preacher a victim or a demon summoner? Lizzy had met him earlier when she first arrived to the desolate farm, yet she finds him dead after his visit years later. Or was that just a hallucination?

Too many questions. I really like ambiguous horror flicks, especially slow moody ones, so I should love this film, right? I don't, because for one thing, it's way too glum, and secondly it leaves too many loose ends. The fun in a riddle is getting hints and figuring out how to make sense out of them. For that you need ENOUGH hints. This movie offers far too few. The script is too hint-poor to justify being a thinking-man's horror. It offers too many possible conclusions along with too few solid facts - along with a multiple-time-line story that only exacerbates all of this. An equation with 50 unknowns isn't an equation: it's a mess.

We are given too little information about the characters as well as the other basics. Aside from the fact Lizzy is German we know nothing about either her or the others. So what fighting chance have we even got in figuring out this riddle?

Better than I thought it would be

[EShawn · 6/10 · 10 September 2019]

I couldn't get into The Witch, and I haven't seen Hereditary yet. So I went into watching this movie with no expectations. It is, as some say, a slow burn. But for me, they threw in scenes that broke the monotony. So I wasn't bored, or irritated. Never really got me to that point. It does have some pretty good creep moments. I think Gerard did a pretty good job with her Lizzy character. One of the things I did like, which many movies of this genre don't do, is that the lead character Lizzy did the things many of us would have in her position, in most of her situations. Which left me thinking, "Ya! That's right! Glad you did that Lizzy!". lol

I wasn't too keen on the ending though. Not a fan of the, "You take away what you will from it, and make your own decision" mentality. It could go either way or both. And that's what's annoying for me. No closure. Had they made a better definitive ending, I'd have given this a at least a 7. But instead, it gets a generous 6.

great blend of an american western and slow-burn psychological thriller

[ryan_sy · 7/10 · 7 April 2019]

This film may not be for every horror fan because it is slow paced and flashback oriented, which creates some confusion and boredom. However, the actors were convincing and the cinematography exuded a feeling of true desolation. Several of the scenes were nicely crafted without relying on overt gore or jump scares to frighten the audience.

I thought it was clever to blend an american western period piece with a demonic, neurotic tone.

I think this movie is definately worth a watch and is one of the more original horror films as of late.

Disappointing

[alexandernordby-358-222914 · 5/10 · 6 April 2019]

I had high hopes for this movie. The trailer reminded me of The Witch (2015), which is one of my favorite horror movies. But The Wind never grabbed my attention. I told myself that it only had a slow start, but by the end I was simply waiting for it to be over. I thought the two main leads had good performances. I haven't seen Ashley Zukerman in much, but I loved him in Manhattan.

The cinematography was good, some silhouetted shots stood out. The music, especially when something scary happened, didn't really fit.

The story grabbed me at points, trying to uncover the puzzle. But there's really not much to it. If you go in with lowered expectations, and you're into the idea of a slow horror mystery, then there might be something for you here. Otherwise I wouldn't really recommend it.

Very eerie and interesting story, I really liked It.

[matthewedwards617-682-471870 · 7/10 · 21 October 2019]

The acting is great and it gets the feeling of eerie isolation across well. Rather than being scary thanks to big effects, it relies on subtle and slowly increasingly more obvious sounds and visuals, as well as the (well acted) emotional states of the characters, which I really enjoyed. Would definitely recommend.

Confusing! Lack of linear and chronological order causes problems.

[salmon62 · 3/10 · 25 April 2019]

This movie had good promise. It's based on a movie from the 1920's but deviates from that film significantly. This movie is created in the vein of "The Witch" (see it !) and perhaps "Hereditary" to compare three recent film examples. The Wind wants you to try and figure out if the antagonists are mentally ill, or if there exists a supernatural force on the prairie where the four homesteaders come to live. The music is nice, and appropriate for the stark landscapes. The cinematography captures the beauty of the mid--west prairie in the early 20th century America.

The problem with this movie is the writing and editing which attempt to achieve mystery and tension by presenting the sequence of events out of linear order. Granted, flashbacks can be effective in storytelling. In "The Wind", it's just too much! There are too many similar shots of wistful looks, confused moments and chronologically disjointed discoveries that confused me and were probably unnecessary.

This is not a movie that needs this technique to this degree. We learn that mental illness, anxiety and depression are present in the isolation of the prairie life. We suspect there are hallucinations and even chloroform -inspired dream sequences.

The writers help us out with tidbits of juxtaposed backstories. But in the end, it's a bit too much. It's a bit too slow and self indulgent to be rated higher. Sometimes it's possible to be too creative. Some movies are worth the energy to try and figure out. "The Wind" is not . . .

Another Awesome Modern Folk Horror!

[TwistedContent · 7/10 · 9 April 2019]

The trailer already made me feel like I'm gonna like this - and I did. I love and respect folk horror movies & I think this has all the qualities to belong to that subgenre, even though it's a western.

"The Wind" possesses many qualities - a strong lead performance, decent, on-point-bleak cinematography and crafty editing, an ambiguous (I enjoy ambiguous horror movies) and twisty plot, very fitting original score & eerie, isolated atmosphere. Those were the reasons Why I liked it, so what were the flaws? Honestly, I can't quite pin them down, put it in words. It might the be fact that, ultimately, it offers nothing new or that the chills weren't ... chilly enough. Like, for example, "The Witch", which I find similar in some ways, is a more effective movie. At least for me. Whatever the flaws are, nothing stuck out to me, it's just that objectively this is neither a masterpiece or the best horror movie of the year.

If You like modern folk horror movies, bleak, atmospheric movies or ambiguous plots, be sure to give this a watch - it deserves more attention. I'm interested to see what's next from this director. My rating: 7/10.

Well shot n well acted, creepy at times but too slow n the incoherent flashbacks n lousy editing makes this a time waster.

[Fella_shibby · 4/10 · 20 December 2019]

I saw this without watching the trailer, without reading any reviews n I paid the price. The idea of a western n horror genre pulled me into seeing this. One reviewer pointed out that this is like Vvitch n Hereditary. Well the moment these two names crop up, one can expect slow n boring horror. The main lead actor looks a lil similar like Jared Leto. The concept of various demons were not at all explored and unnecessary time was spent on incoherent flashbacks n still imagery n that is the biggest fault.

Excellent slow burning Indie horror.

[robfollower · 8/10 · 4 September 2019]

The Wind flirts with some interesting themes about postpartum depression, female jealousy, hallucinatory paranoia, and hellfire possession. It's not about history, or pioneer life, or bloodthirsty ghosts. It's about a loneliness so overwhelming that it becomes terrifying. This excellent is indie horror .

fairly good

[ops-52535 · 7/10 · 6 April 2019]

The wind is a fresh breath of ol'wild west, and the conquering of the blessed land over the ocean, and the fertile grounds to build on and harvest from, just if it hadnt been for ''the wind. its a smallcast horrordrama, the story couldve been better and more fulfilled in its narrative, but the acting are good, no major flaws found, and the lovations and settings are mwellpicked and well created.

the big dilemmais to me : is it a horror film or is it just a drama of desillusioned womanhood, due to far too much loneliness on the prairie, with vast distances to the nearest neighbour, that might be even more insane, and the burden of having a husband that wont see or listen to whats tormenting this womens mind must have been a gruelling terror spiced up with religous faith and its opposite, the devil, as were a usual cause for womens insanity in a mans mind,''shes been dancing with the devil, and riding to bloksberg on her broomstick, to enjoy satyrical orgies with satan in hell''- kinda explonation that especially reverends made up mat that time.

so whatever its is, its a good film, a bit slow and dark visuals, but the grumpy old man found this more than recommendable

Loneliness and Madness

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 22 June 2020]

"The Wind" is an ambiguous supernatural western movie with non-chronological storyline and developed in very slow pace. The plot takes place in the XIX Century in the wilderness of New Mexico, where Elizabeth "Lizzy" and her husband Isaac live alone, with no neighbors. There are three timelines in the movie: Lizzy and her stillborn son Samuel; Lizzy, and Isaac befriending their new neighbors Emma and Gideon; and Lizzy alone meeting a reverend. The screenplay is never clear and in the end the viewer does not know whether the monsters and poltergeists are real or part of Lizzy´s paranoia and madness. The idea of the film has potential, but the execution is boring and confused. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

It was good until the ending

[tamelabrwn · 6/10 · 11 February 2020]

I loved it from the beginning to the end I was waiting for that ending to see was really going on and that never happens . Did she really kill Emma ?did her husband really father Emma's baby ? What happened to Emma's husband? The husband said he saw the preacher when he was coming back how did that happen when I saw him dead ? Was anything that happened real or just in her mind I needed clarity at the end

A Menacing Portrait Of Isolation

[CinemaClown · 1 August 2019]

A folkloric tale of madness, paranoia & things that go bump in the night, The Wind paints a menacing portrait of isolation, loneliness & their overwhelming nature with its desolate wilderness setting, ominous atmosphere, arresting camerawork, stellar sound design & excellent performances yet the story as a whole fails to deliver the maximum impact due to shortcomings of its own making, for its muddled narrative structure, inconsistent editing & overuse of flashbacks prevents it from realising its true potential.

Good story with a flat cliche kind of ending

[mochteam · 6/10 · 18 September 2021]

It's movie about the early days of settling and being isolated on all the land you just stole from the natives. It also features nice things like women that are attracted to a man because he's good at building things and a hard worker (boy I wish that would make a return).

The heart of the movie though is that it's one of those "did that or did that not happen" kind of movie. You either enjoy those types of films or you don't and this movie won't change that. The movie also bounces back and fourth between the past and the present but it's done in a way that makes it clear which is which so it's better than most that try that view of storytelling.

Horror wise the movie has a few scares I guess mostly because the action happens at night and when the main character is completely alone. The other side of the movie is that it's a couple that's been married long trying to work through their problems vs a newly married couple just running into their problems and both of them are now isolated in the middle of no where with only each other to depend on.

A portion of the movie goes into a bit of the history between the couples and flip flopping to the present day. I would say at first when you watch this movie you're just expecting it to be a scary kind of horror movie so you overlook certain details about it.

When you pay more attention to the film you realize this movie is about a woman who is mistreated by her husband because she cannot bare children and the real loneliness she feels is from the lack of love in her relationship with her husband. The prairie more or less is symbolic of their relationship and the "demons of the prairie" or all of the things that can plague a good marriage.

You watch the movie as all of these "demons" play out in real time in the couples relationship. When you look at it in that point of view the movie makes more sense. Even in the end when you finally see the main character's husband show his true colors of abuse and manipulation as well as confirmation of his unfaithfulness.

The movie has a different feeling to it once you realize it's about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage with an abusive husband that doesn't care for her and she sees the "problems" of their relationship as these "demons" basically.

The ending tells more of the relationship woes but not enough for the viewer to see them at first.

At first to end it all Lizzy decides to kill herself from depression and guilt while sitting next to her still born child's grave but then when she sees her husband return she contemplates killing him but decides not too. Later on we see him get upset with her and then Lizzy is beaten unconscious by an "entity" and wakes up tied to the bed with her husband yelling at her.

Perhaps it was just bad story telling but it's clear that the entity's attack was really the husband abusing her after he got upset at Lizzy for reading a book he didn't want her reading. Then later on tying her to the bed as he snooped through her belongings to see what else she had been up too and finding out that she knew about his affair with the new neighbors wife all along and their baby.

Finally when her husband is trying to attack her again she stabs and kills him and gets away. Then in the final scene we see her briefly reflecting on everything as though she's realizing that the real demon all along was her husband (whose eyes turn black right before she kills him).

Over all yeah the movie was good but I don't think many people would catch what it was really about. An abuse story masked as a horror story.

What a waste of time.

[sportspc · 3/10 · 8 April 2019]

Could have been a really nice thriller but ended up being a lonely, lost, waste of ones time. Would not recommend if you are looking for a scare, you have come to the wrong place. If you want to go to sleep, this is the movie for you; music and all. The movies is so bad that the character put her self to sleep!

Slow burning and supernatural and psychological horror movie

[sameerriyaz · 7/10 · 8 April 2019]

One of the best wild west theme movie, contains few supernatural elements and tells us the psychological effect of living alone in a new world.

A Slow burning thriller movie with non linear plot. also Shows the harsh environment of america and how people tried to survive in those times.

Yawn!

[naturenomad · 1/10 · 6 April 2019]

Another slow burn boring unscary pretentious indie horror film that had a great premise but sadly did not deliver. The scenery was beautiful I will give it that, but this was more an exercise in tedium and a chore to sit through then anything. Save your precious time and skip it.

Atmospheric Look at the Pressures of Frontier Life

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 8 April 2019]

This was a film that I caught a trailer before a film I was seeing in the theaters and when I then saw it was showing, I decided to catch it. I came in knowing really nothing about it aside from it being horror and looked to be a western. The synopsis is a plains-woman faces the harshness and isolation of the untamed land in the Western frontier of the late 1800s.

We follow Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard). It kicks off with two men standing outside of a cabin. One is her husband, Isaac (Ashley Zukerman), and the other is Gideon Harper (Dylan McTee). She is covered in blood and has a baby in her arms. It didn't survive. We then see that Gideon's wife also didn't make it. Her name is Emma (Julia Goldani Telles). She committed suicide while pregnant and Lizzy tried to save the baby.

Isaac informs her that Gideon is going to move back to town and he's going to escort him. The film then presents to us the events that have led to Lizzy being the person she currently is and why Emma killed herself. This becomes a tale of is there a supernatural force on the plains that caused her to do what she did or is there something else has happened here?

Now I know this is a much shorter recap than I normally do. The reason is I don't want to spoil anything and the information that is presented to us would definitely do that. This is really all about the acting and development of the characters. There is a point where we don't know what is real and what's not. The fear of what comes with the dark is also there. Lizzy does get visited by a reverend (Miles Anderson) during her isolation as well.

Something interesting about this film is that we are presented with is this a supernatural tale where a demon is tormenting not only Lizzy, but Emma as well or is this just the two women descending into madness? The setting really helps to build the mystery here. It is in the 1800s and before the Harpers move in, it is just the Macklins. They are in the middle of nowhere and it is rough life. Being the settler's days, if you don't make your way, they would die. The film does give a definitive ending, which I wasn't the biggest fan of.

What I did find interesting is the pamphlet that both Lizzy and Emma read that is called 'Demons of the Prairie". What is seems to be is just someone just put all of the names of the demons and what they are supposed to do. There is a solid scene where Lizzy is caring for Emma while she is reciting the names of the demons and what they are the corrupter of. The one she says more than anything is the demon of jealousy. She also states the name of defiler of the marriage bed as well as the demon that brings locusts and drought. I like incorporating this aspect of religion to make us wonder if one of these demons is what is stalking them.

The film did have a bit of a pacing issue for me. It is interesting though as the film runs less than 90 minutes, but there was a stretch where they are giving us back-story that I found myself bored. I think the information we are being given was solid. It really establishes the characters, why they are the way that they currently are and what happens to them to get them there. It just didn't build as much tension as I wanted. The film is definitely more atmospheric though.

Acting for the film was really good though. Gerard really carries this film and I thought she did a great job. What I liked about her at first, we see how hardened she has become living out here. We are given before that happens though and the events that got her there. We also don't know if this entity is real or if there's a demon that is doing all of this. Telles is interesting as well. Her and McTee are both not prepared for what happens, but seeing Telles as she descends into madness was creepy. Being that is she is losing it, it made me wonder what she was saying was real and what wasn't. She is unreliable so that makes it difficult. Zukerman was solid as the husband who is trying to being the rock. Anderson also did a solid job in his small role.

Something I do have to give credit to this film as well was the effects. There are some practical ones that looked pretty solid to me. There isn't a lot in the way of effects in general, but there the CGI ones didn't bother me. They were pretty well done and were pretty creepy. There are some jump-scares in the film, which were actually well done also.

The soundtrack of the film did have some moments that helped to enhance the scenes. It didn't mess around with the song that is being played over the credits. With what the first scene is and how creepy it is, it really did help to build that feeling. The rest of the score really didn't stand out, but it never hurts or takes me out of the film.

Now with that said, this film did have some really good aspects. The setting is creepy and the idea of descending into madness or is there an evil entity that is corrupting them. The acting really carries this film in my opinion. I'm normally not the biggest fan when a film gives us a definite outcome, especially when this film presents us with two possibilities to what is happening. There are some slight pacing issues as well. The effects were pretty solid and I thought the soundtrack was too. It didn't necessarily stick out, but there were a couple moments it did. Overall I'd say this film was in a crossover genre of horror/western we don't get a lot of. I did think this was above average.

Disappointing

[jacobgreene-14690 · 4/10 · 7 June 2019]

I didn't know what to expect watching this movie but I can tell you this that I am highly disappointed. Not much thought into the plot. I would not recommend.

Gaslighting + enforced isolation

[lesurrealisme-26250 · 8/10 · 22 May 2020]

First - don't expect horror, a better mindset would be suspense/drama. The disorienting effect of achronological storytelling requires attention, my take was a great job obfuscating whether there were supernatural or psychological forces & bringing me into the mind of the main character, because we look back on memories in our minds out of order too.

To me the demons of the prairie were normal demons humans face, temptations/thoughts - we see jealousy, perversion of the marriage bed, vengeance - almost everything in that pamphlet (I paused to read). Combined not only with natural isolation but enforced through absenteeism/abandonment/betrayal. Some viewers thought hubby was good for the time - I can't view a cheating husband as good for any century, he was absent helping the neighbors & helping himself to the neighbors womb, off in "town" - maybe at a saloon/brothel, and even when present unsympathetic to his wife being driven crazy by the pressure of environment and his actions.

Then he would gaslight her by saying the equivalent of that century's 'baby it's in your head, I'd never cheat on you, it's just the two of us' - the last part he actually does say. Further the only friend she could have he takes away through cheating, isolating her even when around neighbors. Perhaps he behaved this way in the city and when she states it isn't like the city where neighbors remain strangers & its a luxury they don't have, she is saying 'I'll have to know the other woman this time'.

I'm not convinced it's mental illness any more than any of us would feel in that situation, which is just not good for mental health no matter who you are. When reading from books Emma reassures Lizzy that it's not a spirit it's just a character in the book - which to me pointed to the writer saying explicitly to us viewers - not a literal demon just characters in the movie - Emma & Isaac betraying their spouses & neighbor, Lizzy eaten by betrayal/wrath/desires for destruction, Gideon pretending ignorance/weakness (I mean c'mon he knew!).

The line from Frankenstein about not necessarily being happy with a mate but at least being less miserable in loneliness totally exemplified Lizzy's feelings that even though it might not have been a happy marriage at least when it really was the two of them it was less miserable and that's been taken away.

In that light I thought it was a great movie, slowly paced and on purpose agonizingly so, forcing confusion, that feeling of dread, of something coming that is awful - and you have to wonder if you're giving in to demons or forced to react to circumstances set up by others, maybe our actions are a bit of both. But on the subject of what happened I totally disagree that is was open ended, I felt a definitive conclusion, we know what Lizzy did, we know what Emma + Isaac did, Isaac even says 'how long have you known?' and something like I know what you did - maybe they all knew the whole time she killed Emma since it was her gun and only Lizzy was struggling with facing it.

The Reverend & lamb seem to confirm this is confusion for her, did she kill them, did something else, she struggles to decide, which is a replacement for killing Emma - her mind isn't there yet. And the final shot of her alone in the prairie, even in her bed and then not in her "marriage bed". The ambiguity is not about what occurred but about her struggle to accept reality, but we the viewer aren't left to decide what really happened, we have the clues & statements. She did take that advice and shoot the demons she saw.

Personally I spent a long time thinking it was supernatural and then I had to recount what was said and what we saw. Problems with access to glass windows and wood aside, this was a good movie but you have to sit and pay attention, which to me is what a good movie does. This made me pay attention and then think afterwards about what I saw. I'm reminded of Lizzy saying to Emma not to be unpleasant in front of the men and this sense of confinement of women expressing themselves and their needs (which also reminds me of that Mormon sentiment to 'stay sweet') and in this case the violent counter reactions to this restrictive enforced mental + physical isolation.

Nothing wrong with this picture

[aka_tourette · 7/10 · 16 February 2020]

It is filmed in digital, so the image is a little washed up, especially in the interior scenes, but the main female character gives a very good performance. The men are not that convincing, but nothing to cry about. They are pretty much average, minding they don't have much to work with. Obviously, the female characters and their neurosis is the theme of the film. Those which complain about the flashbacks in other reviews are infantile. The flashback are not hard to follow at all. The picture wouldn't work without them. More than that, some more obscure ones leave you thinking about the film after you finished it, wondering what exactly had happened, making you want to watch it again. It's a minimalist picture reminding me of The Lighthouse, which I've seen recently, although not that good. More creative camera work would have increased the dramatic feel of the scenes. But, in the end, it's a good, small movie, worth watching. Support small, independent creators.

Mostly blows

[TheGMang · 3/10 · 23 May 2019]

Without the fantastic cinematography, this film would be unwatchable. Performances are decent. Setting is great! Directing, editing and writing don't make the grade. Music doesn't really work either. Sound mix is annoyingly low on dialog making the jump scares also annoying and distracting. The compellingly shot images just weren't enough to keep my attention. If you're a cinematography student this is a good study, otherwise you're not missing much.