Splatter: on FILM

Ben Foster’s man of the woods lives rogue with his teenage daughter in the damp forests of the northwest.Together they plant, gather, forage, and hide – working to survive and to maintain their quiet lives just outside of civilization. His sleep is plagued by fearful dreams that keep him restlessly moving forward on his inconstant quest.The pacing of this film is unexpectedly slower, focused, examining the realism of an unsteady life in self-imposed exile. Soft-spoken, it floats scene to scene, the trek unforced yet fearful.It isn’t until the daughter, Tom, tastes the stability of a roof and amenities and human interaction that she sees her life as it could be rather that what she is told it must be.
The father is the loving protector, but Tom is the stalwart strong, the peace that grounds her father. Needing more than a roof, she comes to realize that refuge lies in more than rescue but in the courage to re-enter reality.