Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Year: 2017
I respect teams who put together these low budget sci-fi flicks, often writing and directing and filming as well; basically creating their own, entire worlds without the help of big studios, which should always be applauded. The result isn’t always amazing, but most of those movies are hardly noticed, they fly so far under the radar. Every once is a while we hear of one, and that’s a good sign that something worked, despite the odds, that something special flashed by in that tiny window created by people who simply love the art of the cinema, who have a story to tell regardless of what’s stacked against them. The Endless is that type of project, a labor of love and an odd genre nugget that works despite how it shouldn’t.
Justin and Aaron are brothers who, a decade ago, escaped a cult in the desert, and were momentary celebrities as they revealed their stories. But that was years ago, now they’re just two guys who clean house and can’t get dates, their pasts hanging over their heads like a shroud. Justin wants to forget what happened, but Aaron needs to confront what happened, and so the pair drive out into the country in order to visit the old camp after receiving a message from the group, just so that they can have some closure. Things in the commune are a little wacky, but it almost seems nice, and at first the brothers aren’t sure that it’s as crazy as they remember. They will soon realize, however, that there is more going on around the borders of the community than meets the eye, and that once in, it’s no easy thing getting out.
There’s a social element here and a sci-fi element as well, which combines very strongly to create a multifaceted story that begs to be dissected. It’s that type of film, with a plot that’s full of turns and oddities, one which audiences will turn off but won’t be able to forget. And this had become a pretty standard format, these weird, horror, indie, twisty dramas, which is not a bad thing, because as least you know what to expect. Coherence, The Invitation, The Honeymoon, Primer; these are a few films that come immediately to mind, and if you’ve seen them you’ll know what you’re in for from this film. Perhaps the acting isn’t quite up to par with some of the others, perhaps the plot is a bit muddled, but there are reasons to watch, among them the desire to figure out what the hell is going on, and to watch for signs along the way. Benson & Moorhead make a good team, taking the entire project on their backs, which is the most impressive aspect of the film. What they were able to accomplish is a solid piece of work, a nice addition to the genre, if not something that will blow you away.
My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆