Anomaly Film Festival Coverage
Loop Track review
Loop Track wants to keep you wondering what is going on until it delivers a perfect moment to reveal it. The Anomaly Film Festival continued with a hike through Hell.
Festival movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Loop Track
Directed by Thomas Sainsbury
Written by Thomas Sainsbury
Starring Thomas Sainsbury, Hayden J. Weal, Tawanda Manyimo, Kate Simmonds, Noa Campbell and Bianca Seinafo
Loop Track Review
Loop Track takes its time. It wants you to really question what the endgame is going to be. Three perfectly viable options are on the table…and they present them in very interesting ways. A story about a man trying to get away from his troubles and prove something to himself sticks with that theme for as long as it can. It can prove to be a bit tedious at times…but the result is completely worth it. Worth the wait, worth your patience…and worth watching the truth of the movie reveal itself.
Ian (writer/director Thomas Sainsbury) heads out on his own on a New Zealand backpacking trail. He wants so little to do with people that he actively hides from other hikers when they’re nearby. Unfortunately for him…it doesn’t take long for fellow hiker Nicky (Hayden J. Weal) to find him and join his walk. Newlyweds Austin (Tawanda Manyimo) and Monica (Kate Simmonds) soon join them. Unable to get to sleep and seeing things that no one else can…Ian’s adventure slowly goes off the rails. Is something after him? Are his new companions dangerous? Has he lost his mind?
Those three questions lie at the crux of Loop Track. The answer to them is what elevates everything that came before it. Not that what makes up the first two acts of Loop Track isn’t good in its own right. There are some very funny moments as we get to know Ian and his unwanted friends. The feeling of danger creeps in as the journey progresses. What makes the question about potentially dangerous companions interesting is how the movie introduces them. They’re nice. It feels…off. Especially Nicky. Ian is our lead character. His awkwardness around Nicky forces us to experience Nicky as someone not to be trusted. Is that true? Is it simply a case of an introverted person perceiving an outgoing stranger as dangerous?
Loop Track takes different path with the other two potential dangers. It ties them together. Ian starts seeing things before he even gets out of his car to begin his trek. He feels it following him throughout the movie. Bringing it up to Nicky and the group makes him sound like he’s losing his mind. They don’t see anything. Is something stalking them through the woods? Is Ian, himself, the danger?
Loop Track keeps its three questions hanging over the first two acts of the story. It slowly layers on more evidence of each. Slowly is the operative word. While all of its choices are interesting, the pacing slows greatly before it reveals its answers. This is where patience is required. The story takes a bit too long getting to the fun parts. When the fun parts arrive, however…that’s where patience is rewarded.
Performances are top notch here. Sainsbury pulls off a difficult role in Ian. He has to be likable enough to want to follow…but questionable enough to cast doubt on everything he sees and thinks. The other characters have to walk the same line. Is Nicky just a pushy guy…or is he hiding a deadly secret? The film pulls the same trick with its potential unseen outside threat. At times it does look and feel like there is something just out of focus in the distance. Other times…you’ll be almost certain it is a figment of Ian’s imagination.
Then the third act arrives. Loop Track becomes a completely different movie. The moment the story turns is worth waiting for. There is a legitimate jaw dropping moment when you learn, once and for all, what the answers to those three questions are. Loop Track may hold off the fun a bit longer than it should…but it has plenty of it before the credits roll. Obviously, we can’t talk about any of it here…but rest assured that Loop Track is worth checking out to experience it for yourself.
Loop Track is a gorgeously shot movie that takes full advantage of its outdoor setting. Funny character moments introduce you to Ian and his new friends. Tension grows as the mystery of what’s happening deepens. Then the story reveals itself and things go appropriately wild. Loop Track is a walk down a path worth taking…even if it takes a bit too long to get there.
Scare Value
There were times in Loop Track the pacing slowed down and you hope all of the buildup will be worth it. There are enough funny moments early on to carry the fun…but it starts to run out of steam. Then it tells you what’s been going on and the payoff is wonderful. Good enough to be worth every step…and misstep…the movie takes beforehand.
3.5/5
Loop Track Links
Rent/Buy on VOD from Vudu and Amazon
