Brightwood review.
If you’ve ever felt like you spend your life running in circles…Brightwood is here to tell you that it could be worse.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Brightwood hits VOD August 22, 2023.
Brightwood
Directed by Dane Elcar
Written by Dane Elcar
Starring Dana Berger and Max Woertendyke
Brightwood Review
We like to put the credits of the directors/writers/actors who worked on a film before our review. You may have noticed that there are only two names listed after “starring” underneath writer/director Dane Elcar. That’s not a typo. It’s not laziness or lack of research. While Brightwood must use doubles from time to time…the two names accurately represent the full cast of the film. Just because there are only two characters in the story…it doesn’t mean they are alone.
Jen (Dana Berger) and Dan (Max Woertendyke) are a married couple on the brink of divorce. The space between them is on the surface. Jen is tired of everything Dan does. Dan is more worried about telling his mother that the marriage has failed than he is about fixing it. Things go from bad to worse when a simple run around a pond seemingly traps them in a time distortion with no obvious way out.
The metaphor on display in Brightwood is readily apparent. A couple on a literal road to nowhere. Doomed to repeat the same failed paths repeatedly. And sometimes…you really just want to murder your partner. It’s hard to see yourself ever escaping the trap you’ve found yourself in. There’s plenty more to discover along the path.
The bickering that precedes recognition of their predicament is pitch perfect. Every step Dan takes is a misstep in Jen’s eyes. Everything down to what defines a pond is an invitation for argument. The bickering that accompanies their futile early efforts to find a way out is even better. Funnier still is coming to the decision to end their partnership prior to realizing they won’t be leaving each other’s side anytime soon.
It’s difficult to go any further into discussing the plot of Brightwood without verging into spoiler territory. The movie wastes little time springing its trap on Jen and Dan. Most of the film is spent desperately searching for a way out. It’s also where the story gets incredibly interesting. As mentioned, they aren’t exactly alone in their jog around the pond. We can’t discuss what happens in Brightwood here…so head in with the knowledge that a spiraling, entertaining journey awaits.
Instead, let’s focus on what Elcar, Berger and Woertendyke accomplish with just a small crew and Elcar’s time-bending screenplay. As time marches on (in all directions?) and they begin to understand the gravity of their situation…Berger and Woertendyke get to show off multiple sides of their characters. Over the course of the film’s tight 84 minutes, and much longer for their characters, we see them angry, confused, scared, violent, resigned…what they were and what they (could?) become. The actors are well up to the challenge of carrying a full movie on their backs.
Like the equally great Snow Blinded, Brightwood wisely sets its story in daylight. We discussed the difference between the fear of darkness and the reality of impossible things happening providing two different types of panic in the former’s review. In a case of great mind’s thinking alike…both stories of being trapped in nature choose being confronted with something that can’t be understood over the cheap thrill of something out there in the night.
As with its actors, Brightwood runs a gamut of emotions…or, in a film term, genres. At turns it’s a comedy. The patter between Jen and Dan is snappy and realistic…in a funny way. Of course, that’s set against the backdrop of family drama. The story is science fiction at heart with enough twists and turns to get you lost with them. There are horror elements at play as well. Blood and violence combine with suspenseful moments to deliver what is, at times, a thriller. Elcar and company pull off every one of them.
Scare Value
Whatever it is you’re looking for in a movie…Brightwood probably at least dabbles in it. Smart script and production decisions set the table for an engaging story. Great, varied performances from the lead actors elevate the material even further. A small movie with big ideas…Jen and Dan’s trip around the pond might take forever…but you’ll enjoy your time there. In fact, you’ll want to start the trip all over again to watch all the pieces fall into place.
4/5
