Writer-director Jason Eric Perlman serves up sci-fi horror with an emotional theme in his feature Site. Neil (Jake McLaughlin) and his business partner Garrison (Theo Rossi) inspect an old industrial property to assess whether it would be a good deal to buy and resell. The building complex was a military test site, which has not been entirely decommissioned. Neil stumbles into a “stargate” like device that activates in a blue glow and seems to project him into a different time and place. From this point forward, he has recurring visions of a Chinese family enduring torture during the war with Japan at the hands of the real-life Manchu Detachment unit 731. Unit 731 infamously conducted chemical and biological warfare testing on prisoners. Neil (Jake McLaughlin) leads a narrative that blends personal drama with retro techno-horror.
While dealing with an impending divorce, Neil is trying to reconnect with his son, Wiley (Carson Minniear). When he defies his wife, Elana (Arielle Kebbel), and takes Wiley out on a dirt bike, Neil has a hallucination and crashes the bike, badly injuring Wiley. This puts enormous pressure on Neil to make the military base sale a success to pay for Wiley’s surgeries.
Tension builds slowly as the forces, both ordinary and metaphysical, pulling Neil apart begin to erode his mind. Garrison is less sympathetic than he could be toward his old friend, but tries to help him get back on his feet financially. As the effects of the time projector take hold, Neil exposes his friend Naomi (Miki Ishikawa) to it to see if others have the same reaction. She has a seizure after the machine shows her the same torture Neil saw. Over time, these episodes begin to spread to other people.
A Chinese family enjoys a quiet puppet show in Site, moments before their world turns dark.
“…recurring visions of a Chinese family enduring torture during the war with Japan…”
Perlman explores the idea that generational trauma leaves an indelible mark on time and space. Of course, we know trauma haunts individuals, but in Site, it can impact external reality and connect different timelines. With the cracks in spacetime and the defunct government facility, the film owes something to Stranger Things for its overall vibe.
McLaughlin delivers Neil solidly, though the character is hard to love, crashing through life careless and clueless, despite good intentions. Theo Rossi, who we remember affectionately as Juice on Sons of Anarchy, is powerful as the antagonist, Garrison, propelling the film forward.
One must question whether it is appropriate to invoke real horrors from the Second Sino-Japanese War as a flashback reference point for a mid-budget scary movie. On the other hand, cinema can illuminate historical facts one may not be well-versed in, and the torturous inhumanity of 731 is a dark chapter in history that many may not be aware of. Perlman is respectful of the material.
Site is an ambitious film, exploring vision, reincarnation, absolution, and entangled souls as powerful themes in the undercurrent of the story. Perlman spins out a complex, slow-burn narrative with many threads, and works to bring them all together for a cohesive conclusion. As the endgame is revealed the mechanisms for how it all works are unclear, and the personal drama gets diluted in service to the overarching timeline story.
Still, while not an entirely successful soft landing, the finale does gel enough to deliver a satisfactory culmination. Considering the atrocities of unit 731 as a focal point for evil to propagate waves of trauma throughout history is a terrifying concept, making this a compelling cinematic experience.
For more information visit the official Site website.
"…ambitious...compelling"
