“Brightwood”

Thematically complex and highly creative, writer-director Dane Elcar‘s low budget indie “Brightwood” finds humor in the death of a long term relationship by integrating elements of science fiction and horror. While it could use some significant editing to cut out a good chunk of filler, the film has a tightly-rooted premise that starts off as something that should be wacky and fun. The shock comes when it transforms into a dark, disturbing, bloody nightmare.

Dan (Max Woertendyke) and Jen (Dana Berger) have been married for nine years in a relationship that can only be described as rocky. Last night, Dan really messed up by getting drunk and making a fool of himself at a party. Jen is angry, and she’s ready to pull the plug and file for divorce. Hoping to work things out, the couple decides to go for a jog around a local pond. As they rehash the evening and hurl insults at each other, tempers flare at an all-time high. But amid all the fighting, Jen and Dan realize they keep returning to the same spot and are literally running in circles.

It’s a clever use of a limited setting and limited resources, especially when the characters figure out that they’re stuck together in an endless loop. It’s a stressful situation that escalates their resentment and anger towards each other, especially when a silent hooded killer appears out of nowhere and starts hunting them.

Eclar has an uncanny ability to capture the essence of his onscreen couple in the film’s first five minutes (aided by the natural chemistry and terrific lead performances from Berger and Woertendyke), and the dialogue feels real and eerily relatable for anyone who has ever had a partner for any length of time. As Jen and Dan air their pent-up grievances about their stagnant relationship, they must also work together to stay alive.

The film is a clever metaphor for feeling trapped in a relationship that’s going nowhere, capturing the feeling of regret and the illusion of wasted time that so often comes with the territory. It digs deep into ideas like animosity, self-loathing, and the human tendency to stay in a dead end marriage just because it’s the easier thing to do. Luckily there’s humor to be found in this dark story, especially when Jen and Dan encounter better versions of themselves in the time loop (and resort to the unthinkable).

The movie feels too long, with repetitive, tired shots of paths in the woods and an ominous lake with a rusty “no swimming” sign. These are audience markers for sure, but we don’t need twenty minutes of the same old thing. It’s also tiring to listen as Dan and Jen question their predicament as they try to figure out what is going on, wondering aloud if they’re dead and in Purgatory, or if it’s simply a practical joke or a very bad dream. I feel this part of the movie could’ve been executed better and quicker.

The science fiction parts of the story are done well, but the horror elements come too late. At least Eclar is unafraid when it comes to pushing his story to the outer limits.

As a piece of entertainment, “Brightwood” is admittedly exhausting, but the intense themes are thought-provoking and inventive, which makes it worth your time. It’s a memorable story of a couple doomed by destiny with an ending that will leave you speechless, satisfied, but still scratching your head.

By: Louisa Moore