Handsomely filmed in 16mm, THE WILDS is a horror movie that requires some patience on the part of the viewer. I was ready to dismiss it as an idiotically plotted mess. Only when I read the post-script did I fully appreciate everything that had come before. You might be better off reading the synopsis of the film before watching it.

This is a very quiet movie, its silences broken only by animal sounds, shotgun blasts and bark exploding on trees. We see a farmer and his wife at their secluded home. A radio announcer breaks the news that the bodies of three missing children have been found. The farmer tells his wife, “I’ll find him and bring him home.” He pauses at the doorway, heads back inside, and retrieves a shotgun. It’s a nice moment; we’re afraid of what comes next.

The farmer drives out to the woods and sets out on foot. Strange sounds emerge from the wilderness, and he responds by firing off a round… then another… then another. It’s at this point that I thought the hero became a little too trigger-happy. “Who the hell is he shooting at?” I thought, because I had no idea what was going on. When he finds the body of a young boy – presumably his son – I figured that the farmer had killed him accidentally. But I was way off. This is a movie that’s much more powerful in retrospect.

Technically, THE WILDS is unimpeachable. The sound design and camera moves in the wilderness sequences create an atmosphere of suspense. I recommend watching this movie more than once.