Director: Thor Moreno
Year: 2026
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Plot:
Following his sister’s disappearance, a man chronicles his journey into what happened to her, which means he eventually finds a series of diary recordings and unpublished vlogs hinting at her slipping mental state just before she died, bringing him to the grim realization of her fate.
Review:
Overall, this was a rather fun if one-note genre effort. The central premise here is decidedly worthwhile enough, with the whole idea coming together to present what he would want to check on her as he starts his investigation into the woods and what he's looking for with his search that uncovers what’s happened to her through her recovered videos. This paints a great picture of her being continuously confronted with something along her journey, as we see her traveling through the woods, trying to make sure her dog is okay, and filming videos for her followers as they hang out and ask questions with her. It all starts to wear on her when her dog disappears, and she becomes stranded in the middle of nowhere with no real rescue options along the way, making her situation feel all the more intense when the final videos show off the creature stalking and attacking her. This is all handled well enough and generates the kind of intriguing action that the rest of the film can’t quite match.
While all of this is impressive enough and manages to bring about some really enjoyable and effective aspects, the main problem here is the dragging pacing that keeps this one from really doing anything until the finale. Far too much of the running time is spent on these elements where little happens, and there’s no overt sense of menace for what’s going on, so there’s no real fear gathered from these interactions, even when we get something towards the end. Since this barely even provides any kind of genuine resolution with what happened to her, being at complete opposite ends of the type of isolation and paranoia-induced pieces that had been the point, it just leaves this on an unsatisfying note. That’s not to discount a slew of logical inaccuracies and factual gaps trying to move the story along, with the incredulous nature of her phone surviving as it does, the lack of knowledge about her content, and even the fake nature of her traveling vehicle, which are enough to bring this one down.
Overview: **.5/5
An enjoyable if slightly problematic genre thriller, there’s enough here to make for an enjoyable time, while being let down by enough of its problematic issues. Those with an interest in this type of approach or who are curious about it will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution with it.
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