Writer-director Ari Briskman’s Molt drops us into a mystery that feels like a late-night brain bender that somehow crawled into the real world. Kevin (Mychal Thompson) is a freelance journalist living in a world where a sickness is spreading fast, and society is slipping into quarantine (sound familiar?). It’s also Christmas, and Kevin receives an odd gift: a decorative box with eggs inside, with one already hatched. Unfortunately, whatever came out is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Kevin has been tracking down everything there is to know about the spreading sickness. His research has led Kevin to an internet conspiracy about a hooded, unseen presence which he calls “Serpentes.” He’s convinced this figure is tied to the outbreak and must have the cure. No one, not even his roommate Grumps (Tony Bartele), believes him, except for Dr. Lin (Diana Lu), who encourages him to continue his research.
One afternoon, Kevin finds a scanned photo of his mother, who passed away giving birth to Kevin. He doesn’t remember putting that photo on his computer. His curiosity sends him on a dangerous journey along the empty streets to his storage unit. There, Kevin makes a startling discovery, and in an instant, his mind starts playing tricks on him.
“His research has led Kevin to an internet conspiracy about a hooded, unseen presence which he calls ‘Serpentes.'”
While watching Molt, I can’t help but be reminded of how great the pandemic was for indie filmmakers, especially here in Los Angeles. The streets and buildings were clear, and as long as you didn’t get caught, you could make a quick-and-dirty indie movie without permits. Now I’m not sure whether Molt was made during the pandemic, but there’s something eerie about seeing empty streets that makes it perfect for a psychological thriller.
I say this a lot about indie filmmakers: they make the most with what little resources they have. Briskman uses indie guerrilla techniques to mask the limitations of shooting with a small cast, a tiny crew, and two or three locations. He also makes the film feel cinematic despite his small budget. There is this incredible serpentine effect in the middle of the movie. If you stare at the scene carefully, you’ll see how ingenious the effect is, but then again…don’t do that. Just have fun with it.
As a story, Molt is an ambitious psychological thriller with an emotional payoff at the end that I didn’t see coming. Look, it’s easy to pass this off as a cheaply made movie, but as you wean yourself away from Hollywood blockbusters to small indies that are given no big studio support, Molt is a tale that engages you with this mystery-box story and then ties every loose end together in an emotionally satisfying ending. A great performance by Mychal Thompson as Kevin, who holds the entire film together.
Molt sticks the landing by playing the long game with its paranoia, creeping into Kevin’s mind and memory ever so slowly. It just shows that indie thrillers don’t need the ever-intrusive Hollywood studio meddling in our minds… wow, that would make a great movie.
Molt can be streamed on Prime Video.
"…a late-night brain bender that somehow crawled into the real world"
