WATCH NOW
As I set up to watch Out of Darkness the other night, I had too many lights turned on. Watching it from home means each bulb, no matter how small, has the potential to sabotage my Z-grade thriller-watching experience. I knew from the start that this Scottish production could only be appreciated in its full essence when the surroundings were pitch black. All the lights had to go out and after a couple of good slams into the edges of coffee tables and my shins, I was all set to dive into this stone-cold thriller from Andrew Cumming.
Out of Darkness immediately sets the tone as rich and immersive as the terrain is eerie and unknown which well preserves the relics of 45000 years ago. It does not attack the viewers, but there are some cinematic rings that have rarely been dived deep into. Letting audiences immerse themselves into their own realm of elegance. At this point in time, humanity is in its infancy which is showcased through six early settlers who after crossing barren plains and walking across frozen tundras relentlessly finally come across a land of plenty. These castoffs and strays are looking for new lives and desperately gather around a campfire bound together no more by friendship, but out of necessity.
Heron (Luna Mwezi) the youngest of the family is taken by an unknown creature which forces her family to flee from their newly made safe haven. As their home becomes active, Adem (Chuku Modu, Me Before You) is forced to wait until sunrise to pursue the creature, but when the sun rises, he is faced with a perilous journey through a black forested area. Though it is dangerous, he decides to pursue the black, treacherous forest,t and to aid in his hunt, he forces his companions to join in, including his wife, Ave (Iola Evans), who is set to give birth, Geirr (Kit Young, The School for Good and Evil) his second hand in command, elder Odal (Arno Lüning) and a potential pet Beyah who he believed would serve as a source of children for the household. Their family has faced countless perils, but nothing like this set of woods or cave escapes that endanger their lives.
To characterize Out of Darkness, formerly known as The Origin, as merely a horror movie does not do it justice. It is a keen examination of humanity’s most primal instinct, survival, and is interspersed with genuine fright that keeps the audience glued to the screen. Of particular note is Ruth Greenberg’s screenplay which starts as a ghost story and develops into a narrative that is compelling and emotive, all of this with the aid of Cumming’s direction, which always seems to pull us in deeper. In order to help the viewers engage deeply with the ancient setting, the filmmakers even invented a language, Tola, with the help of linguists and archeologists.
Adding to the six acclaimed performances that serve to sell this new language and the Stone Age setting is the Oakley-Green, who plays the strong supporting character of an underappreciated woman in society. Her performance results in crucial changes in the group’s fate. Modu’s work as Adem is more than a mere Alpha male brutish caricature. He indulges in surprisingly vile behavior, but as he tries to find his boy and desperately hangs onto his humanity, there is more to him. Young’s Geirr is perhaps a bit more sensitive than he should be, though I think a tad more heightening of the contrast with Oakley-Green’s more interesting angle would have helped him greatly.
Kudos also goes to Saint Maud’s cinematographer Ben Fordesman for capturing the beauty in the Scottish highlands and using it as a chilling backdrop. His lens gives the audience a chance to immerse themselves fully into the film’s primeval world. Those landscapes positively evoke beauty and horror, which is exactly how they ought to be in this film. Editing by Paolo Pandolpho, (The Lesson) is flawless and the story is able to build and maintain pace without losing any suspense. The score by Adam Janota Bzowski (The Marsh King’s Daughter) adds just a tingle to the strange feeling of the film to perfectly suit its character.
Cumming’s sparing use of overlayered special effects and a welcome dedicated emphasis on practical work offer a refreshing take to a genre steeped in tradition. Out of Darkness is a must-see film for all Stone-Age mystery zealots and enthusiasts trying to understand the primal fears of our ancestors. The film is a vague narration of someone almost a Cumming’s vision and ingenuity to suggest why is able to create in a world where the established order forces you into submission. The score the film leaves for the audience to counter alongside humanity’s reply to fear and our survival instinct is unarguably the most captivating. What he tells us after the credits is, in the end, a reminder of our fascination with what is unknown and what precedes us.
To watch more movies like Out of Darkness (2022) visit 123movies
Also Watch for more movies like:
