When relationships go bad, sometimes it’s hard for people to find a path out of it. Or so suggests this movie. But is it? I mean really? You just say it’s not working and needs to end. That tends to take away the plot of this movie though. Our two main characters are Lars and Lisa. And their marriage isn’t doing too well. They decide to take a weekend away. And both of them set the stage for oddity. Lars tells people that Lisa is demanding a day on her own to go hiking, even though he has warned her it could be dangerous. Lisa has told friends that Lars is insisting that they go hunting, even though she has a long standing disdain for guns.
So a weekend away where the plan from both of them is betrayal at the highest level. This leads to some wild potential. But an added twist reveals itself when the cabin they are going to had been broken into by some escaped convicts shortly before they arrive.
Now we have open conflict! Aside from between the marital duo. At this point we have a pseudo home invasion movie in full swing. I call it pseudo because technically the invaders were there first. And there isn’t much conflict buildup because once the invaders are there, the conflict is resolved. Mostly.
The three invaders do create a new environment though, and their shenanigans bring up some fun moments. And watching as the couple find ways to change their misfortunes is entertaining. Adding the three invaders does give extra room for story elements to develop. As conflict grows the couple find common ground. Not just as a means for survival, but as space to grow and improve their relationship as they realize the gripes they had were minor and petty. There are moments for both Lars and Lisa where they have to decide whether to be selfish or selfless. Fighting off the antagonists is definitely something that can’t easily be done by either of them alone.
This movie does potentially stretch the bounds of horror, but thriller and suspense has often been lumped into that category. And when I started watching this, I thought it was going to be more horror oriented. But movies like the Strangers and Knock at the Cabin have blurred the line.
6 stars feels like a good space for this movie to exist in. Entertainment factor is decent in it, but the horror elements are really just about survival.
Cthulhuville 