Movies that make you think long after they are over are one of the best types of movies. Movies that make you feel present in the moment or movies that bring out whatever type of emotion they were designed to bring out are, of course, strong contenders to the effectiveness of a movie as well. But when you are still thinking about something you’ve seen, months or even years after it is over and feeling the need to watch it again (even if you didn’t love it) is one of the biggest compliments you can give a movie. Now I’m saying that Patricia Rozema’s (Mansfield Park) Into the Forest is Platoon or E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Still, it is a movie that will keep you involved and have you thinking about it after its viewing.

Ellen Page (Juno, Hard Candy) and Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler, The Ides of March) star in this post-apocalyptic thriller/drama. In the not too distant future, older teenage sisters Nell (Page) and Eva (Wood) live in an isolated house with their father, Robert (Callum Keith Rennie – Memento, Paycheck) in the Pacific Northwest. They live a fairly normal life. They are just far more rural than just about all of the other people that they know. The two sisters couldn’t be more different from each other. Nell is outwardly strong and logical, while Eva is more of an artistic dreamer. They are held together by a sisterly bond which is put to the test when a power outage wipes out their entire local community for at first hours, then days, then weeks, then more. But the loss of power isn’t just affecting them. It’s a nationwide outage and possibly even worldwide. If that wasn’t enough, a fatal accident to their father makes life even direr for the sisters. But because of their lifestyle, they are in far better shape than most others in their situation in terms of necessities, as we learn after a quick trip to the closest town. They have plenty of food stored. They have gasoline. They have candles, matches, trees for firewood, batteries, etc. But even with sufficient provisions in the short term, you can’t just live a completely different lifestyle.

But how long can any of us survive in the world when our worlds are completely changed? And what do when those once limitless provisions run dry? And what about the intentions of others who are more desperate than ourselves? The scenarios are played out for us in Into the Forest, and it’s beautifully heartbreaking.  When dire circumstances bring out both the best and worst in humankind, it can be a beautiful display when the right cast of characters is in play. World War Z, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Dawn of the Dead are all excellent post-apocalyptic movies, but so are more subdued ones such as Children of Men, The Book of Eli, and The Road (which is one of the greatest books and movies that I’ve ever read or seen). Into the Forest isn’t quite as good as any of the films I just mentioned, but it’s certainly on the right track. It’s certainly not limited by its top-notch performances. It’s not limited by its deliberate direction…purposeful in its buildup, infused with the right amount of heartwarming moments between intense episodes of lawlessness and tragedy. Unfortunately, I think it was the film’s third act that kept it from being a masterpiece. I’m not sure if Rozema knew exactly how she wanted to end her movie nor what she wanted to leave the viewer with. But the third act falls into the same trap that many other good, but not great, movies run into. It speeds to a finish and doesn’t feel like the same movie that you’ve been watching. And I do understand this problem. Originality is difficult in Hollywood these days. We see so many sequels, prequels, reboots, and offshoots that we wildly crave authenticity. And it becomes a motivating factor to give the audience something that they can’t foresee a mile away. When this works, it works so incredibly well. But when it doesn’t, we will have critics that state exactly what is mentioned here.

Overall, I am glad I watched this movie. It is certainly not a pleasurable viewing experience, but how many post-apocalyptic movies are? Unfortunately, the answer is ‘not a lot. Sure, there are ones that leave us feeling hopeful, but an overall pleasurable experience from a movie that deals with the world after it has fallen apart? Unfortunately, there aren’t just a lot of those. The dynamics between Page and Wood are excellent. We see the characteristics that define each sister and the experiences that change them. These independent dramas are the perfect fit for both talented actresses, each with a range that far exceeds what they’ve been able to show in the blockbuster movies they’ve starred in previously.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing  8/10
Cinematography 8.5/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
85.5%