Whether the movie finds its way to a decent resolution is another question. A thread involving the unborn son Quincy and Joba are trying for becomes very muddled, playing with time and perception. It hints that we are only peeking at a little of the characters’ ordeal, but it doesn’t totally pay off. Their story on screen seems a partial flicker of a much bigger story not quite wrestled into place. It didn’t resolve the question of what exactly was going on.
This uncertainty is typified by a long reminisce in the middle from Joba about killing a family pet as a boy to divert the wrath of his father. It had me sympathizing with the actor, struggling with a clear surfeit of dialogue. Then I remembered he was co-writer of The Woods are Real, leaving me no opportunity to let Dellapina off the hook for a haltingly staged monologue. The setting, a shack full of widows, doesn’t land at all, neither complimenting the plot or its allegorical foundations. It feels off-beam with the rest of the picture, and Lewis and Dellapina’s grasp on these people and why we should care about their stories feels mostly uncertain.
“…has a number of impressive virtues.”
That aside, the script has a number of impressive virtues. It’s a surreal mystery, leaning into the primal setting with imagination and humor, particularly in the satire. The protagonists are a struggle to relate to, but that feels like the point. The scene where Joba and Quincy casually discuss their charities feels like a cousin to the celebrated San Franciscan fart-huffing scene from South Park.
The biblical themes throughout The Woods are Real are played with real commitment on the part of the filmmakers. But the plot strands mingle and intrude upon one another, and the last act is rushed. A think piece such as this needs space to refine and reflect on its themes. But location shooting requires quick in-and-out shooting, making such things nigh impossible. Still, the ambition on display is admirable.
It is nice to see Folk Horror crossing the Atlantic with such a thoughtful and ambitious title. Despite issues in the story structure and character arcs, it’s a development that I hope continues. While I couldn’t relate to the narrative of The Woods are Real, I was impressed with the wild trail Lambert, Lewis, and Dellapina beat into the American woods. They suggest a world of possibilities here that I hope other State-side filmmakers follow.
"…it is nice to see Folk Horror crossing the Atlantic..."
