IR Film Review: ANTLERS [Searchlight]
The progression of mythology as a form of therapy or representation is a metaphor that is seen throughout cinema. Using the essence of claustrophobia and distance especially in family dysfunction and situational dynamics has been somewhat a hallmark of director Scott Cooper's work including "Out Of The Furnace" and the more recent "Hostiles". He seems to like taking genre (and in more recent elements the perspective of women and children and their perspective of trauma) and pushing it to a riveting degree (at points). Here Keri Russell plays a school teacher who returns home to her family homestead in the forests of Oregon. She seems to have had a tough go and is a recovering alcoholic. Much of this is a result of physical and mental abuse she suffered at her father's hand as a child. This plays very heavily into her and her brother [Jess Plemons] and their relationship. Plemons also is the Sheriff of the town. The reality is that this is just the backstory. While the progression is simple in terms of a genre tale of a mythic creature wreaking havoc, it is the human story that is the most complex.
The only hang up is that the acting and characters really don't overtly hit true emotional notes. Russell was more affecting in "The Americans" and her relationship with Plemons doesn't really read at all. The only actor that is truly affecting (although one can see he is sometimes "acting") is the young boy (played by Jeremy Thomas) who goes through so many horrific things blending love, loyalty, terror and then psychosis. And yet Thomas is able to internalize them and make them read. That said, most of the tone the film creates in its somberness reflects in the rain drenched back roads and towns of Oregon resounding with a Twin Peaks-esque plainness. The climax however and its use of practical and scale is impressive (no doubt a bit of producer Guillermo Del Toro's influence) especially within the conditions that are again both claustrophobic and distanced. "Antlers" works on certain assumptions and formulas but creates an interesting essence of character build while not delivering completely. B-
By Tim Wassberg
