I gave this film a chance purely because it was written and directed by Joe Lo Trulio, who I like from Brooklyn 99. On the hole, I suspect that if were not, it would not exist. That is to say, if the average person wrote this, it probably would still be in a word document on someones laptop.
As Kate (the lead character) suffers from flashbacks and hallucinations from a harrowing past, we come to understand her plight. But we're asked to believe that she would seek solitude in a fire watch tower located somewhere in the middle of a mountain range in Idaho by means of escape. I dont think its a spoiler to say that they dont. The synopsis of the movie would have you believe that something darker is going to manifest, but really.. it does not.
The location itself was probably the best bit. It made for some great tree and mountain porn. On the one hand some of the photography (or videography) was fantastic, with some great shots and points of view (mostly of mother nature), it was dragged down by periods of hand held shakey cam with really poor directive choices (mostly of people and action sequences). They gave me an actual physical headache.
While the concepts of abuse, made for a good basis for a story the use of the ideas to drive the narrative just didn't feel cohesive. So for the most part I wasnt sure what I was watching and came very close to quitting before the end. And so, despite the disconnect, the last part of the film was okay (nearing good) and ultimately worth the watch if you can make it past the beginning.
