Review of Retreat (2011) by Meritcoba — 13 Sep 2016

The cast deserves a thumbs up for having the thankless job of saving a weak script with a great twist but bad ending. The story: a couple retreats to a remote island to work out their problems. but these take a backseat when a stranger washes up on the island and tells them that a deadly infection is killing everyone. The couple, overawed by the stranger, initially goes along with him but then doubt sets in. Is he telling the truth?

The gaping plothole is that the transmitter turns up static just when the stranger arrives so his story can not be checked and thus it seems to support his assertion that everyone is dead. It isn't made believable why there is static and the couple does not even check any of the other band waves. More plotholes follow throughout the movie.

The twist makes a lot up for the weakness of the script and the ending is sad. But the final end should be cut from the movie. Now we know and we shouldn't. This movie is about doubt, deception, and uncertainty. The end should have reflected that.

Pity that once again a director thinks he is up to the task of writing a script, an art that is vastly undervalued. Few directors make good writers as few writers make good directors. Especially when the script is depended mostly on dialogue to propel the story forward.

Why not take a story written by a good writer and adapt that? There are more than enough to choose from.