T
The first film by Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen, from Adelaide, is boldly and creatively thrilling, despite using familiar horror tropes such as a dark hallway, flashes of lightning, creaky walls and floors, and the howling wind. This gave me the same feelings as reading works by Edgar Allan Poe or HP Lovecraft, where horror elements are present but the story unfolds with a natural fluidity and depth, adding to the overall atmosphere of the film. The movie, titled “You’ll Never Find Me”, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and will be released nationwide on Thursday.
This movie has a feverish, wet, and atmospheric tone that seeps into you as you watch it.
The tale commences with a nameless, young woman, who is referred to as “The Visitor”, knocking on the door of a caravan for refuge from a stormy and ominous night. “I am struggling to make sense of the situation,” says the woman, played by Jordan Cowan, and she echoes the confusion of the viewers. We, too, will experience captivating moments in this darkly brilliant story as we try to unravel the mystery at hand.
-
Join us for an enjoyable experience by signing up for our list of necessary readings, popular culture, and weekend advice, delivered every Saturday morning.
In the caravan resides Patrick (played by Brendan Rock), a tired and concerned man with gentle features. His pastimes include gazing ahead with a melancholic demeanor and contemplating the intricacies of human behavior. The woman remarks on the chaotic weather outside, although it’s quite apparent without her mention – the storm is a pivotal aspect of the film, causing upheaval in its very core. She asks for a ride to town, but Patrick is more interested in sharing weighty and pensive musings. He reveals his attempts to avoid sleep, only for things to become even more tangled and difficult. The heightened atmosphere of the scene allows the characters to deliver lines that may have seemed overly dramatic in another setting, such as “it doesn’t matter where you hide” and “you’ve come to the wrong place.”
Display the image in full screen mode.
Allen and Bell, the authors of the script, uncover various enigmas, big and small. By the conclusion, they invite a reevaluation of the entire journey in order to gain a complete understanding of certain elements. In the beginning, we witness Patrick holding onto a tiny container of transparent liquid… what is its purpose? Towards the end, during the climax, the screen is saturated in intense blue and red hues, reminiscent of the giallo genre; while these colors create a moody atmosphere, they are also strategically used for clever reasons, which will not be revealed here.
Move on from advertising the newsletter.
after newsletter promotion
Both actors deliver exceptional performances. Brendan Rock portrays a troubled man with a brooding and mysterious nature, reflecting a sense of defeat within himself. He is polite and gracious, providing his “Visitor” with a shower and food, but his speech is weighed down by the weight of his regrets. Jordan Cowan carries herself with grace and skillfully balances a tough exterior with underlying nerves, exuding both confidence and vulnerability. Her expressive eyes can be interpreted as portals of understanding, reflections of the soul, or reflections of the mind.
We recognize that she has approached his door, taking the first bold step. It seems like there is a game of cat and mouse unfolding, but it’s difficult to decipher who is playing which role due to all the deceit. The characters don’t seem to have trust in one another, and we ourselves do not trust them or the creators. A feeling of uneasiness lingers, but it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is amiss.
Please display the image in full screen.
In one scene Patrick discusses the past in his typically morose style, but doesn’t turn to face his companion: a simple but effective way of making the encounter weird and unsettling – though perhaps we’re jumping at shadows, reading too much into it. The directors give this scene, and indeed the film more generally, lots of oxygen and room to get the viewer psychologically lost; they fill the picture with long, suspenseful dramatic passages that creep and swell its joints, bringing a feeling of heaviness, of heaving, of compounding pressure.
Bell and Allen have successfully crafted a complex and challenging environment that evokes a sense of being on the brink of consciousness, creating a dream-like experience. The caravan appears to drift among the periphery of the universe, or possibly the shadowy depths of the mind.
We’ll never discover me creates a deeply unsettling and escalating intensity prior to culminating in a stunningly clever conclusion full of unexpected turns that will stay with you.
-
The movie You’ll Never Find Me is now playing in Australian theaters and will be available on Shudder starting March 22nd.
Source: theguardian.com
