Several mysteries develop in this film: Who is Rosie (the protagonist played by Brittany Kragerud) and where did she come from? Why is her memory so spotty and why is she being so evasive? Why was she in that illicit medical lab and what were they doing to her in there? Why are those scientists so intent on recapturing her? And who can she trust?
All of these mysteries are eventually answered at the end of the film, with an unexpected twist. (Warning: The distribution company for this film put out a synopsis of this film which was full of spoilers and which revealed all of the major plot points including the surprise ending. If you like mysteries without spoilers, don't read anything about this film before you see it! -- except this review, of course:)
Production-wise, the cinematography was very good for a low-budget, independent film. Technically the DP handled both interior and exterior scenes well; and the angles, tone and editing were supportive of the what was happening in the story. The score was good with the exception of some upbeat rock music played at the end (and the beginning) which was completely out of place. This movie was not a happy-go-lucky romp through the park. It's a suspenseful, scary thriller with suspenseful orchestrated music throughout, so rock music doesn't fit. Also, this film doesn't have a happy ending (and can't have a happy ending for reasons I can't explain without spoilers), so putting in that upbeat rock music at the end was huge blunder by the filmmakers.
One note on the editing/script -- there was one very long scene in the middle of the film showing one of the support characters, the sheriff, sitting in his car doing nothing for what seemed like an eternity. I mean the guy just sat there motionless, no cuts, no changes in camera angle at all, nothing. I thought maybe my video stream had frozen or something. I have no idea why the filmmakers did that. It didn't add anything to the story or the character. Weird.
The acting from this unknown cast was really spotty. In the beginning the performances were okay, but there were some scenes in the middle of the film that were really awful. But there were some good performances too. Tom Isenberg, playing Joe the scientist/father, really gave a great performance as a creepy psycho. Kragerud also did well for a young unknown actress. Sonya Katarina Isenberg, who had a smaller part, also did a good job for a teenager. There was another actor who also had the same last name, Patricia Isenberg, and there were lots of duplicate last names in the relatively small cast/crew, so I think maybe these independent filmmakers may have just picked some of their friends/families to help produce this film -- I'm not sure because there's not that much online about the film, producers and cast. Some of them may be associated with another independent film, "Dad's in Heaven with Nixon" (2010) which was actually a documentary about autism.
There was only one black actor in this film with a speaking part, a woman (played by Sharron Shannon) who had a small part with five or six lines and only 16 seconds of screen time. The black woman -- who was holding a baby (played by Rupert Shannon) -- was depicted in a favorable manner and had a positive interaction with one of the supporting actors. (There was a black extra -- who I believe was played by David Shannon, Jr. -- on screen for about a second or two, a child who was not really noticeable in the scene.) It was a small cast, but it would have been better if one of the main characters had been played by a black actor so that black characters had more screen time. The sheriff, Ben, is a Native American man played by Clint Hughes, who I assume is Native American himself. (Hughes gave a mostly good performance with a couple of exceptions.)
There was one other minor issue I had with the film. The dialog and character of the main protagonist was portrayed exactly as you'd expect from a young Earth woman. I think the credibility of the character and the plot would have benefited if she would have "slipped up" a couple of times and maybe used some inaccordant phases. It would have given the audience more to chew on in this mystery.
Overall, the film was well produced for an independent film and the actors did a good job for an inexperienced cast (with a few glaring exceptions). The story was original and the dialog was mostly believable. And there was no racial bias or racial derision, which often occurs in traditional Hollywood-produced films. It's worth watching if you like suspense thrillers and original mystery stories (and you can tolerate some lousy acting in spots).
Advisory: Some violence (bludgeoning) but no gory scenes.
Rating: 6/10; (submitted August 25, 2020, 5:30 p.m. EDT)
