Into the Forest – Film Review

Director: Patricia Rozema
Writers: Patricia Rozema, Jean Hegland (based on the novel by)
Stars: Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella

Available to watch on We Are Colony

Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) live with their father Eli (Max Minghella) in a remote house just outside a small town in America. They are two typical teenagers, one obsessed with school work and the other in her attempts to become a dancer. One night their house is plunged into darkness. An electrical fault they assume will be quickly rectified, but as the days pass they slowly realise this may be something more substantial. From the radio reports they realise that this is widespread to the full of the country, that is until the radio broadcasts simply disappear.

This film is based on a book by Jean Hegland and is not quite the post-apocalyptic drama it appears to be. While something has happened to society, we are never quite sure what, and that is one of the great powers of the film. Instead it focuses on their attempts to survive in a remote location with no electricity, supermarkets and the other conveniences of modern life.

Even at 29, Ellen Page still somehow makes sense as a teenage girl. While a year younger, Evan Rachel Wood is much more of a stretch and I still am not quite sure which of the two young women was meant to be the youngest. However, in film terms this is quite a normal problem to have, with many actors still playing teenagers into their early 30s. Possibly best know for her version of Mansfield Park, writer and director Patricia Rozema focuses largely on the relationship between these young sisters and how they change from typical self absorbed teenagers into serious women in a new cruel world.

If you are looking for your typical post-apocalyptic thriller, then you had best look elsewhere. This promises much, but the zombies/ aliens never do arrive. It is similar in motivation to The Road although not quite as blood thirsty. It is a slow moving piece that aims to show how easily modern society can slip away. Those that remain are left with whatever they can scavenge from the world around them.