In The Earth sees the results of director Ben Wheatley making good use of the pandemic by using it as a source of inspiration as a way to help unleash some of the crazy headspace and feelings of claustrophobia that so many of us are understandably in.
Things may hit too close to home when we are introduced to Dr. Martin Lowery (Joel Fry) wearing a face mask and having to be sprayed down and check to see if he is infected with whatever contagious virus is going around. He arrives looking for his mentor (Hayley Squires) who he hasn’t heard from in months so they can continue their study of the nature preserve.
He ventures out into the woods with the help from Alma (Ellora Torchia), a park ranger who tags along with Martin and provides some context to a weird Pagen-esque artwork hanging on the wall of the lodge they meet at. This of course plays as eerie foreshadowing and reminds of Midsommar, a movie that also featured Torchia.
It’s out there that they encounter the strange Zac (Reece Shearsmith), a man who has clearly been living isolated for far too long, who offers to help the pair but there are hints of something more sinister is lingering in the forest. But as so often is the case its those who are closest to us that may be the biggest thread.
To say much more would spoil the fun. While the execution of the film of its puzzle box-like mysteries is a mixed effort that drags out a bit too long, you have to commend Wheatley for making a film during this difficult period and the way he uses the land is such a resourceful and creative way.
Wheatley’s script is as in-tuned to the land as its characters and while the atmosphere, soundtrack, and performances vibe more than the overall character, there is plenty to absorb here in ahttps://weallwantsomeone.org/2018/02/23/review-annihilation/ film that ends up feeling like a pandemic influenced mixture of Annihilation and Midsommar made on a small budget.
Wheatley doesn’t give any easy answers and the final 20-minutes may confound more than satisfy. But there’s no doubt that this is a unique experience and one of the few positives to result from the pandemic, despite not quite feeling fully formed.
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