A novel turned movie where unfortunately both fall short. I didn't read the novel but watched the film. And then I read background on the novel and reviews. So I actually got a very good grasp of the plot (which confused most people). Overall, it falls tantalizingly short of a dark, gothic thriller but somewhere in the realm of psycho-thrillers that lack soul. It's a beautifully filmed film in the cold wilderness of Alaska with fairly good acting. But it really falls short after that. The main criticism of viewers is the unclear plot. Director Jeremy Saulnier does a stylist job but one that has too many holes. He later explains he intentionally left a few holes in the boat but on the other hand, you don't want the boat to sink. And it does sink a bit in this case. Jeffrey Wright does much of the superb acting but most of the rest of the acting is limited and somber. Julian Black Antelope plays Cheeon in a dramatic mid-point standoff but aside from that, it's plain. One can explain the dark secrets of the couple (Medora and Vernon) but in the whole context of the film, many things don't make much sense. Why does Cheeon go on the spree? What's the sense of first two cops getting killed? So if secrets are to be kept, why go to extremes? It's not the irrationality or dark side of human nature that needs to be coherent but rather what path the director wants to take. There are similar such movies that take a more coherent path. This one walks in mud, not even snow. The final unclear secret, why drag the body at the end? What purpose does that serve? The wolves live more coherent sensible lives, so the comparison of wolves and human isn't quite valid for this film. That theme supposedly keeps the film (and book) together but it fails. It's a fascinating analogy but its comparing apples and oranges in particular, when your humans don't really act like wolves. So this film claims to make sense if one has insight from the novel but neither actually make much sense. On another note, the novel received good but not great reviews from readers. Critics liked the book and movie more than readers or filmgoers. That says the critics were probably off the mark. Or both book and movie critics were in an obfuscated dimension. One has to question whether the author (William Giraldi) or director really understood what they were doing. It's stylish and Wright does a fine acting lead but the rest of the film is a cold Alaskan mountain fog.
Review of Hold the Dark
