They Remain (2018)

They Remain: Directed by Philip Gelatt. With Rebecca Henderson, William Jackson Harper. Two scientists who share a romantic history are tasked with investigating unnatural animal behaviour on the site of a Manson Family-style cult’s compound.

“I read a review somewhere online that called They Remain sort of like Annihilation but with a cult. I guess thatu0026#39;s sort of true. The basic plot is that two scientists have been sent into a forest wilderness to investigate strange animal behavior. Their area of interest also happens to be where a large cult had recently conducted its rituals (including torture and murder). But as the scientists spend more time in isolation, they become more paranoid of each other and of their surroundings. Is it something in the air? For me, this movie was pretty inscrutable – and unenjoyable – although at the very end we do get the slightest bit of closure or satisfaction. But until that time, letu0026#39;s just say itu0026#39;s a bumpy and not always interesting road they travel. We see everything through the eyes of only one of the scientists; perhaps dualling perspectives would have helped. I kept wondering when something was going to happen that made some sense, but the movie kept tantalizing me, showing me strange occurrences without any sense of context or import. In addition, there are multiple scenes of hallucinations or dreams, but itu0026#39;s not easy to distinguish them from the u0026quot;realu0026quot; scenes. The acting isnu0026#39;t bad, and the photography is beautiful, but the meaning was lost on me.”