Review of Hold the Dark (2018) by Keo%20 M — 08 Oct 2018

If you are a fan of thrilling mystery, do not pass Hold The Dark. It is a meticulously crafted movie with a non-linear narrative, not quite in the league of Westworld. It rewards viewers who pay attention, which might be to the movies detriment. But for those who are able to piece together the puzzle pieces chewed up by wolves, there is a pleasant reward.

Hold The Dark as directed Jeremy Saulnier; Blue Ruin, Murder Party, and Green Room, manages to capture the claustrophobic nature of emptiness and seclusion in a state that is larger than Texas. The Alaskan landscape serves as the backdrop and through costume design, set design, glorious acting, and fantastic cinematography create the illusion of the bitter bite of cold; even beneath your blankets. We as the audience get to revel in imagery, misery, and mystery that surrounds a small Alaskan village that is on a one way trip to a ghost town. Of course we as an outsider to the village's mysteries follow the more relatable character portrayed by the talented Jeffrey Wright; playing Russell Core.

Russell Core, aside from being an author and animal behaviorist, is an outsider to the village and we are allowed to experience the movie through his experiences. Because of this, the movie does feel slow at times as conversations happen that hide hints, tips, and lore throughout this movie. At times it feels like a conversation that one would "zone out" on and missed an important question your wife, husband, teacher, or business peers had asked. With that said, even the most innocuous of conversations can reveal more than one really wants to know.

The movie isn't about in your face thrill and tension but rather the mystery and question; Why? That isn't to say the movie doesn't have its thrills but one might find themselves asking that one question over and over. Hold the Dark amounts to a twisted Alice In Wonderland scenario where instead of nonsensical words we are hit with foreign culture, traditions, and murder. Alice or Russell Core, is squarely in the center of it trying to survive just as we as the audience survive to find the answer to the question of the unknown.